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THE INAUGURATION FAN. 



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Roimd the white pillar of her name it grew, 
This little vine of me7nory, leal and true; 
With clasping tendrils and with clustering leaves, 
A simple chapiet to her worth it weaves. 
Who does not joy with wreathen love to crown 
The gentle soul who tiobly wins renown ? 



MEMORIALS 



OF 



SARAH CHILDRESS POLK 



WIFE OF THE ELEVENTH PRESIDEiNT 
OF THE UNITED STATES 



BY 



■/ 



ANSON AND FANNY NELSON 



NEW YORK 3/4/ ^"S'A^ 

ANSON D. F. RANDOLPH & COMPANY 

(INCORPORATED) 

182 Fifth Avenue 



. M 4 



Copyright, 1892, 
By Anson D. F. Randolph & Company. 

( INCORPORATED ) 



John Wilson and Son, Cambridge. 



I O O /"X r-\ -^ 12. 




THE PRESIDENT AND MRS. POLK. 



From a copy of one of the first Daguerreotypes made at 
IVasfiiiigton, 1847 or 1848. 



PREFATORY NOTE. 



MANY sketches and articles concerning Mrs. 
Polk were written during the long period 
of her appearance in public, and also in the years 
when she lived in comparative seclusion. It is 
deemed fitting, however, that a more full and con- 
nected account of her life should now be given, 
not only to those who were her familiar friends and 
acquaintance, but to the many others in all parts of 
the country who, through a long period of years 
have looked up to her as a type of true woman- 
hood. For this labor of love the writers have had 
abundant opportunity, in the course of a long ac- 
quaintance, to observe minutely her life, character, 
and methods of thought in weekly visits made to 
Polk Place, which for more than thirty years were 
interrupted only by sickness or by occasional ab- 
sence from the city, together with tree access to all 
the materials necessary to make up the present 
narrative. 

-' Mrs. Polk's example of womanly purity and dig- 
nity is a valuable legacy to the coimtry. Her 
modesty, her self-control, her unpretentious de- 



VI PREFATORY NOTE. 

meaner in the highest station, her jealous care for 
the rights and feeh"ngs of others, her unfailing re- 
spect for the simple yet grand institutions of the 
country, and her unbroken reverence for all things 
sacred, are models worthy of imitation by all her 
countrywomen. 

In endeavoring to set forth a simple, yet faithful 
and true semblance of Mrs. Polk, nothing has been 
said that did not seem to add to the delineation. 
Many apparently trifling incidents have been put in 
as touches to give tone and softening and round- 
ness to the picture, which might otherwise appear 
bare or crude. The bits of history and biography 
interspersed in the narrative also seemed needful as 
a proper background to the portrait. 



CONTENTS. 



PREFATORV NOTE 



CHAPTER I. 

Birth and Parentage. — At School in Nashville. — Mora- 
vian School at Salem, North Carolina. — The Journey 
there. — Romantic Scenery. — Customs at that Old 
School. — Suddenly called Home i 

CHAPTER n. 

Mr. Polk. — His Ancestors. — Elected to the Legislature. 

— Courtship and Marriage. — Aaron V. Brown. — Fes- 
tivities after the Wedding. — Columbia, the future 
Home of Mrs. Polk. — Her Mother. — The Lafavette 
Ball in Nashville in 1S25. — The Tickets to the Fete. 

— Mr. and Mrs. Polk present 13 

CHAPTER HI. 

Mr. Polk's Character and Profession. — Elected to Con- 
gress. — Mrs. Polk's First Visit to Washington. — 
Forest Trees and Mountain Scenery. — How Members 
of Congress lived at the Capital in Early Days. — Mrs. 
Adams. — Return Home. — Back again. — Fourteen 



viii CONTENTS. 

Years in Washington. — Different Routes. — Incident. 

— Letter from Mr. Polk to his Wife. — The Meteoric 
Di.splay in 1833. — The Artist Earle. — First Portrait 
of i\Irs. Polk. — Currency. — Mrs. Polk's Ideas about 
Specie and Paper Money .23 

CHAPTER IV. 

Mrs. Polk unites with the Church. — How to keep Poli- 
ticians away on Sunday. — Companions of Mrs. Polk. 

— Notable Women. — New Year's Calls. — The Black 
Hawk War. — South Carolina Nullification. — Mrs. 
Polk's Idea of Propriety. — Never attended a Horse 
Race. — Mr. Polk's Influence over his Wile. — Leader 
of the Jackson Party in the House. — Elected Speaker 
of the House of Representatives. — Mrs. Seaton. — 
Mrs. Polk's Discretion. — Franklin Pierce. — Gales and 
Seaton. — Leaving Washington. — Mrs. Polk and Mem- 
bers of the Supreme Court. — Poem by Judge Story . 41 

CHAPTER V. 

At Home again. — Exciting Campaign for Governor. — 
Mr. Polk elected. — Judge Guild's Account of a Po- 
litical Love Feast. — Mrs. Polk's Neighbors. — The 
Capitol of Tennessee. — Entertaining the General As- 
sembly. — Mr. Polk defeated for Governor. — Mrs. 
Polk's Aid to her Husband. — Trip to Mississippi. — 
Visit from Ex-President Van Buren. — Another Can- 
vass. — Dr. J. G. M. Ramsey. — Again defeated by 
Governor Jones 57 

CHAPTER VI. 

Mr. Polk elected President. — How he received the 
News. — The Contest in Tennessee. — His Friends 



CONTENTS. IX 

PAGE 

rejoicing. — Anecdote of Mrs. Polk. — Last Interview 
with General Jackson. — Journey to Wasliington. — 
Welcome all along the Route. — Col. V. K. Steven- 
son. — Incident at the Relay House. — Mr. Polk 
chooses his Cabinet. — The Inauguration. — A Na- 
tional Fan. — The Bible on which the Oath was 
taken. — Inauguration Ball. — The New Mistress of 
the White House. — The President refuses all Gifts 
of Value. — John C. Calhoun tendered the Mission 
to England. — Reasons for declining told to Mrs. 
Polk. — Ladies of the Diplomatic Circle. — Attending 
Church. — Dancing discontinued at the White House. 

— The Effect. — Mrs. Madison and Mrs. Polk. — 
Weekly Receptions. — Mrs. Polk lightening her Hus- 
band's Labors. — Letter from Associate Justice Catron. 

— Reflections of the President on his Fiftieth Birth- 
day. — Observance of the Sabbath 73 



CHAPTER VII. 

Mrs. Polk on the Declaration of Independence. — Recep- 
tion on the 4th of July, 1846. — Mrs. Polk's Considera- 
tion for an aged and humble Visitor. — Flowers 
scarce. — Mrs. Polk declines to take them from Patent 
Office Grounds. — Her Hospitality at the White House. 

— Mr. Polk's Letter to his Mother on Christmas Day. 

— Tour in the Northern and Eastern States. — Mrs. 
Polk returns to Tennessee. — The President's Letter 
to his Wife about the Trip. — Postscript by Hon. 
James Buchanan. — Decision to settle down in Nash- 
ville. — Home purchased. — Illness of Mrs. Polk. — 
Dining at the White House, and some of the Ladies 
present. — Comments on the Table by a Visitor. — 
Col. Thomas H. Benton. — Mrs. Polk's Answer. — 
Anecdotes of Daniel Webster and Henry Clay, at the 



X CONTENTS. 

PAGE 

Dinner Table. — Hon. Charles J. IngersolFs Solicitude 
for the Health of the President. — Close of the Mexi- 
can War. — Notes from Mrs. Polk to her Husband. 
— Healy paints Mrs. Polk's Portrait. — Gas introduced 
into the White House. — Letter from the President to 
his Mother. — An Acrostic. — Tdbute from Mrs. Ann 
S. Stephens to Mrs. Polk. — Last Reception at the 
White House. — Last State Dinner. — Farewell to Mrs. 
Polk. — Last Sunday at Chnrch 97 

CHAPTER VIII. 

Departure from Washington. — Reception at the Capital 
of Virginia. — Arrival at Wilmington. — Charleston. — 
Savannah. — The Chatham Artillery. — Macon. — Co- 
lumbus. — Montgomery. — Unique Reception at Mo- 
bile. — New Orleans. — Hasty Leave on Account of 
Cholera. — Illness of Mr. Polk. — Detained at Smith- 
land. — Arrival at Nashville. — Visits to Relatives 
in Murfreesborough and Columbia. — Settled at 
Nashville 



125 



CHAPTER IX. 

Polk Place. — Furniture and Pictures. — Portrait of 
Hernando Cortez. — General Worth. — Portraits of 
distinguished Men. — Inaugural Addresses. — Books 
and Canes. — Mr. Polk taken lU. — Provision for 
his Wife's Comfort. — Attention of Friends to the 
Ex-President. — His Physicians. — Bishop Otey. — 
Rev. Dr. Edgar. — Received into the Methodist 
Church by Rev. Mr. McFen-in. — The End. — The 
Funeral and the Sermon. — Impressions in Early Life 
by a Sermon at a Camp-Meeting. — Sympathy for the 
Bereaved Wife. — Letter from Hon. William L. Marcy 
of New York. — Removal of the Remains from the 



CONTENTS. xi 



City Cemetery to the Tomb at Polk Place. — The 
Tomb and Inscription. — Extract from Mr. Polk's 
Will 



PAGE 



139 



CHAPTER X. 

A Child at Polk Place. — Marriage of Miss Sallie Polk 
Jetton to Mr. George W. Fall. — Miss Saidee Fall.— 
Mrs. Polk changes her Church Membership from 
Columbia to Nashville. — Visits of the General Assem- 
bly and other Podies. — Bishops Green and Otey. — 
Contributions to the Tennessee Historical Society . .159 



CHAPTER XI. 

The Civil War. — The Federal Army enters Nashville. 
— Mrs. Polk "At Home.''- Visit of Major General 
Buell and other notable Commanders. — Witty Reply 
of a Colored Man. — General Thomas. — General 
Grant. — General Sherman. — General Lytle. — Valua- 
bles deposited at Polk Place for Safe Keeping. — 
Mrs. Polk's Financial Losses. — Eloquent Speech of 
Col. Bailie Peyton 167 



CHAPTER XH. 

Visit of the General Assembly. — Senator Gibson.— 
Col. Robert I. Chester. — National Association of 
Teachers. — General Eaton. — Ex-Governor Foote. — 
The National Centennial at Philadelphia. — Mrs. Polk 
declines courteous Invitations to be present. — She 
loves her Home. — Her active Mind. — American 
Association for the Advancement of Science. — Profes- 
sor Newcomb's beautiful Introduction. — Dr. J. Ber- 
rien Lindsley replies. — National Association of Fire 



XI 1 CONTENTS. 

, PAGE 

Engineers. — Ex-President Hayes and Wife. — Secre- 
tary Evarts and Daughters. — Col. Wade Hampton. — 
Tliey visit Col. E. W. Cole and Wife. — General S. F. 
Carey of Ohio. — Judge Hoadley and Charles O'Con- 
or. — Centennial of the City of Nashville. — Honors 
to Mrs. Polk. — Call of Senator Bayard and Daughters 
and Senator Gorman. — Letter from Rev. Dr. F. W. 
E. Peschau of Wilmington. — Extract from his Ad- 
dress before the Historical Society of North Carolina, 
concerning Mrs. Polk. — His poetic Tribute. — Mrs. 
Polk's Reverence. — Hon. Simon Cameron. — Pen- 
Portrait of Mrs. Polk. — Dr. Gross. — Governor Crit- 
tenden and Party. — Interview of a Banner Reporter. 

— Old Campaigns. — New England Press Association. 

— Speech of Rev. F. S. Hatch 179 



CHAPTER XIII. 

Visitors. — Phi Delta Theta Society. — National Grange. 

— Hon. Samuel J. Randall and Wife. — Rev. Dr. Henry 
M. Field. — Senator Sherman. — Hon. George Ban- 
croft. — Polk Place. — Mr. Bancroft visits many Places 
of Interest. — Speech to the Tennessee Historical So- 
ciety. — Ex-President Cleveland and Wife. — W. C. 
T. U. — Miss Frances E. Willard and others. — The 
Sculptor Valentine. — The Evangelist Sayford. — 
Thomas Nelson Page. — Mrs. Juliana Hayes. — Miss 
Anna T. Ballentine. — Bible presented. — Mrs. Naomi 
Hays Moore. — The Polk Escutcheon. — Mrs. Polk 
opens the Centennial Exposition at Cincinnati from 
Polk Place. — Her Humility. — Distinguished New 
Yorkers. — Dr. Field and Mr. Bancroft. — Healy's 
Portrait of Mr. Polk copied by Miss Zollicoffer. — The 
Scotch-Irish Congress. — Col. A. K. McClure and Wife. 

— Librarians from the New England States. — Ohio 



CONTENTS. xiii 

PAGE 

Editors. — American Medical Association. — Ex-Gov- 
ernor Emory of Massachusetts. — Rev. Mr. Miller of 
Princeton. — Professor A. P. Bourland and the Peabody 
Normal School . . » 203 



CHAPTER XIV. 

Portrait for the White House. — Portraits of Mr. and 
Mrs. Polk. — The Ex-President's Watch. — Watch of 
General Washington and General Lee. — Pension to 
Mrs, Polk. — Ex-Governor Aaron V. Brown. — Sonnet 
by Ben D. House. — Anecdote of Associate Justice 
Catron. — Fourscore Years. — Birthday remembered 
by Friends. — Fading away. — Ladies' Religious Parlor 
Meetings. — Mrs. Polk's Comments. — A notable old 
Sermon on Duelling. — Mrs. Polk's Love of talking 
about her Husband. — Applications for small Favors. 
— Her Interest in Public Affairs 231 



CHAPTER XV. 

Mrs. Madison and Mrs. Polk. — Holding Office in the 
Olden Time. — Log Cabin where Mr. Polk was born. 

— Mrs. Polk's Love of the Scriptures. — Her Moderate 
Eating. — She attends Church. — Anecdote of M. de 
Bodisco. — Francis Scott Key. — Invitation to the Mar- 
riage of President Cleveland. — Incident of early Mar- 
ried Life. — Saidee goes to Europe. — Women Workers. 

— Rev. Dr. Riddle. — Dr. Rubey. — A costly Fan. — 
Mrs. J. R. Brown's Account of an Incident in 1844. — 
Eighty-sixth Birthday. — Letter from Mr. Bancroft. — 
Mrs. Polk declines giving Recommendations. — Son- 
net. — Early Friends. — Various Remarks of Mrs. 
Polk. — Anecdote. — Eighty-seven. — Rev. Dr. Whit- 
sitt. — Mrs. Ex-Governor Perry. — Judge Lea's New 



xiv CONTENTS. 

PAGE 

Year's Greeting. — Visit to his Father in the Thirties. 
— Mayor of Nashville. — Incidents. — Illness of Mrs. 
Polk. — Marriage of Miss Fall 249 



CHAPTER XVr. 

Growing feebler. — Illness. — Last Words. — The End. 
— Tolling of Bells. — Flags at Half-Mast. — General 
Mourning in the City. — Telegrams. — The City Pa- 
pers. — Funeral on Sunday Morning. — The Entomb- 
ment. — Letters from Friends. — The Inscription on 
the Tomb. — Letter from Miss Frances E. Willard . 271 



ILLUSTRATIONS. 



Page 

Portrait of Mrs. Polk Frontispiece 

The Inauguration Fan 

The President and Mrs. Polk 99 

Fac-simile of one of Mrs. Polk's Letters . . ii6 

Portrait of Mrs. Polk ^^^ 

Portrait of Ex-President Polk 141 

Portrait of Hernando Cortez H3 

Portrait of Mrs. Polk 233 

Fac-simile of Letter of George Bancroft . . 262 



SCHOOL DAYS. 



Mr. 
■>n. 



SARAH CHILDRESS POLK. 



CHAPTER I. 

1803-1819. 

OARAH CHILDRESS was bom in Rutherford 
^^ County, Tennessee, on the 4th of September, 
1803, in the country home of her parents, Joel and 
EHzabeth Childress. Her mother was a VVhitsitt, 
and belonged to a large family, well known in this 
and other States. Mr. and Mrs. Childress were 
among the early settlers of Middle Tennessee, and 
were persons of high standing in those days, whs 
character was esteemed for its intrinsic merit,.ew 
when the vision of the people was less conere. 
with the glare of place and power and we?.' found 
now/) mjurious 

Mr. Childress was a successful man.rl does not 
and possessed uncommon sagacity ^ thought that 
and enterprise. His family lived .mments of read- 
a competency gives. Their dvy^ipies of arithmetic. 



4 EARLY SCHOOL DAYS. 

was absolutely hurtful, disqualifying her for the 
obvious duties of her station, — the care of the 
household. For a short time the two girls, Sarah 
and her sister Susan, went with their brothers to 
the common school. Subsequently their parents 
engaged the services of Mr. Samuel P. Black, the 
principal of the Murfreesborough Academy, a 
school for boys. He gave them lessons in the 
afternoon, when the exercises of the Academy were 
over for the day. They used the blackboard, and 
maps and globes, and were thoroughly drilled in 
the difficult beginnings of learning. 

When Sarah was twelve or thirteen years old she 
and her sister were sent to Nashville, to attend the 
private school of Mr. Abercrombie, a noted teacher 
of that day. They also took lessons on the piano 
from his daughter. This was a rare accomplish- 
ment for that early time, the facilities for which 
gave a peculiar reputation to the school. 

General Jackson was then living in Nashville. 
He was in the zenith of his military glory, and his 
adopted city rejoiced in the lustre reflected upon 
her by this distinguished citizen. The little pupils 
were boarding in the family of Colonel Butler, one 
of his staff officers, and so saw him frequently. Mrs. 
Polk remembered distinctly a very brilliant ball in 
the General's house, at which she was a guest. 



EARL Y SCHOOL DA YS. 5 

An elderly lady who a few years since appealed 
to Mrs. Polk for sympathy in her desire that the 
simplicity and plain dressing of olden times should 
be restored, was surprised by the reply that she had 
never practised the severe plainness of which the 
lady spoke ; that from her earliest recollection she 
had been dressed in silks and satins of delicate 
texture, in beautiful designs and colors, and had 
never known, even in childhood, what it was to be 
simply clothed, or to long for splendor of raiment, 
having always possessed it. She did not believe 
that the apparel in old times was plainer than it is 
now, but that the means to possess this luxury were 
then limited to fewer individuals. 

After a year or two spent in home study and 
private lessons, and when Sarah was about fifteen 
years old, she was sent with her sister to the Mora- 
vian Female Academy in Salem, North Carolina. 
Mr. and Mrs. Childress desired their daughters to 
have the advantage of a large school, not only in 
its more comprehensive course of study, but in 
that deeper, keener, intellectual quickening that 
comes from fellowship in culture. 

The little town of Salem was founded by the So- 
ciety of the United Brethren, about the middle of 
the eighteenth century, under the direction of Count 
Zinzendorf, from whom it received its name, mean- 



6 THE ACADEMY AT SALEM. 

ing " peace." The " quaint, quiet, green old town " 
lies a thousand feet above the level of the sea, in an 
undulating, beautifully wooded country. " From 
the more elevated points, not remote from this 
unique town, the Pilot Mountain may be seen, 
with its castellated peak, rising three hundred feet 
above the shoulders of the mountain, and bearing 
a striking resemblance to an antiquated Gothic 
castle, such as greets the eye on the Rhine; and 
still beyond, on a clear day, the practised eye can 
detect the steel-blue rim of the remoter mountain 
ranges that form such a conspicuous feature in 
Western North Carolina. There still the old 
town of Salem stands, with its antique dwellings, 
tile roofs, low eaves, and cramped little attics, 
unchanged in many of its aspects amid all the 
changes that have occurred around it. There it 
stands, with its primitive customs, its peculiar re- 
ligious services, its pious Moravian Brethren, its 
benevolent institutions." ^ 

Here stood the Female Academy, a healthful 
and peculiarly suitable retreat for the calm and 
studious life of young girls. Under the charge 
of this religious society, of acknowledged piety 
and elevation of character, the great usefulness 
and success of the Salem Academy were assured, 
1 Rev. J. E. Edwards. 



THE ACADEMY AT SALEM. 7 

as its nine long decades have proved. Many of 
its pupils had braved the toils and dangers of a 
long journey to share in its advantages. " The 
only uniform worn by the pupils in this old 
Moravian school was a neat and closely fitting 
lace cap. It was a striking feature. Sweet, ruddy 
faces peered out from the quilted borders of this 
handsome and decidedly tasteful piece of head- 
gear. That of the larger girls was trimmed with 
white ribbon, the smaller girls with pink. It was 
a beautiful spectacle on Examination-Day, as the 
annual closing day of the session was called, to 
see one hundred and fifty or two hundred girls, 
dressed in white, with flowing sashes and flaunt- 
ing ribbons, and each attired with the tidy cap, 
marching in procession from the Academy to the 
church." ^ 

Upon their starting, Mr. Childress gave to each 
of his daughters a French gold coin, a louis d'or, 
worth about four dollars and eighty-four cents, as 
a parting gift. This piece of money, so likely to 
find its way speedily into other hands, Mrs. Polk 
preserved through many years and vicissitudes, 
until the end of her life, and it is now a much- 
prized relic. 

The young girls traversed the hundreds of miles 
1 Rev. J. E. Edwards. 



8 THE ACADEMY AT SALEM. 

between Murfreesborough and Salem on horseback, 
escorted by their elder brother, Anderson Childress, 
and attended by a trusty man-servant who carried 
their portmanteaus on his horse. He belonged to 
a class no longer in existence. In the domestic 
economy of those times, which the vast changes 
wrought in the last thirty-odd years have con- 
signed to the past, among the slaves of every 
rich man there could be found some intelligent 
and faithful ones who possessed the implicit confi- 
dence of their master and friend. 

Such a trip in these days of swift and easy travel, 
more than seventy years afterward, would seem like 
a series of romantic adventures. But it would be 
a romance from which the exciting element of 
danger was eliminated, leaving it gently stirring 
and thoroughly agreeable. Far dififerent w^ere the 
circumstances forty or fifty years still earlier, when 
the pioneers of Middle Tennessee, dauntless and 
heroic, were journeying through this wilderness to 
the land which loomed before their prophetic eyes 
like an enchanting mirage, blooming as a garden 
of roses, remote in time, not space. Then they 
were shadowed by the Indians, and often assaulted, 
suffering the severest privations and hard- 
ships. It was not so with our young travellers, 
who had nothing to fear from the rude and cruel 



THE ACADEMY AT SALEM. g 

warriors of the forest, and to whose youthful and 
inexperienced fancy, the cool, green shades on 
either side of the road suggested only pleasant 
visions of noonday rest and refreshment. 

No views are more varied and picturesque than 
those through which their way was taken. It lay 
over a rolling country, with charming views of hill 
and dale; and through woods thickly peopled with 
the descendants of the ancient families of oak, 
beech, hickory, walnut, cedar, wild-cherry, willow, 
and many others radiant in rustling garments of 
every shade of green, and with branches bending 
to the whisperings of the wind. There was the 
stir of many kinds of animal life ; the hum of 
insects ; the clear, sweet notes of birds flitting 
hither and thither in gleaming plumage ; the soft 
beauty of sky; and the indescribable variety and 
charm which nature bestows in the favored climate 
of Tennessee and North Carolina. The forests were 
already decking themselves in color when our little 
travellers rode through them. After riding all day 
some friendly farmhouse would give them shelter 
and rest, and the knowledge of a domestic life 
entirely new to them. They crossed the broad, 
beautiful, majestic Holston, now the Tennessee 
river; the wild, picturesque French Broad, which 



lO THE ACADEMY AT SALEM. 

tlie Indians called the Tahkeeostee river; and 
other streams, smaller but not less pleasing in 
their gracefulness. 

An entirely new and different life awaited Sarah 
and her sister in their transient home in the Salem 
Academy. The hush and method of a large school, 
the lessons learned with the stimulus of the small 
world of students, the pleasant walks and talks 
with many new friends, congenial and beloved, 
the daily services for prayer and divine guidance, 
all helped to mould the growing character of Sarah 
Childress. On Sunday morning, the girls met in 
their respective class-rooms to receive what was 
called Bible instruction. A verse from Scripture 
to be memorized had been assigned the previous 
Sunday, and it was expected that the chapter from 
which that verse was taken would be read by the 
pupils in their rooms during the week. After the 
recitation by each one in turn, the entire chapter 
was read aloud and commented on by the teacher. 

In after years one of the teachers wrote as fol- 
lows: " Let us recall some of our own peculiar and 
particular enjoyments. As the end of the year 
drew near, busy hands and heads were occupied 
in preparing for the Christmas times, — the decora- 
tions, the dialogues, all having reference to the 



THE ACADEMY AT SALEM. II 

babe in Bethlehem's manger, whose birth we were 
commemorating. Then came the old year's clos- 
ing meeting, held in our Academy Chapel, fol- 
lowed by the watch-meeting at midnight in the 
church, which we attended with the Salem con- 
gregation, and a few hours later the New Year's 
sermon in the morning." 

While at school in Salem, Sarah did a little piece 
of needle-work which she fortunately kept during 
all the succeeding years. It is the picture of a tomb 
gleaming white through the foliage of surrounding 
trees, and is worked in chenille on a white satin 
ground. It is skilfully and delicately done, the 
different shades of green, brown, and yellow blend- 
ing naturally. In later life Mrs. Polk herself called 
attention to a resemblance which struck us as having 
in it something prophetic. It bears a remarkable 
likeness to the tomb in the garden on the east of the 
house, in full view of her chamber window, which 
for more than forty years was the reminder of her 
joys and sorrows, and which became, as the months 
glided by, her daily reminder of the blissful reunion 
awaiting her in the near future. 

These tranquil days of study, of girlish dreamings 
and anticipations, came suddenly to an end. Sarah 
and her sister were called home by the illness and 



12 THE ACADEMY AT SALEM. 

death of their father. They did not return to the 
Academy, and Sarah occupied herself with the duties 
of home and social life, and with the sacred charge 
of helping to comfort her mother. 

Mr. Childress left a good estate to his family. 



HOME LIFE AND MARRIAGE. 



CHAPTER II. 

1820-1825, 

'"T^HERE were many friends and admirers who 
-*- sought the companionship and a share in 
the sunny society of Mrs. Childress's household. 
Among them was James Knox Polk, whose ances- 
tors came to America from the north of Ireland, 
early in the eighteenth century. Their name was 
originally Pollock, but the wearing action of pro- 
nunciation reduced it in the course of time to 
Poll'k, and finally to the present name. Mr. Polk 
was born in Mecklenburg County, North Carolina, 
November 2, 1795, and came to Tennessee with his 
father's family in early life. He was a practitioner 
of the law, and at that time principal clerk in the 
senatorial branch of the legislature, which met at 
Murfreesborough, then the capital of the State. In 
the public estimation he was a young man of mark, 
and very soon after was elected to the legislature 
to represent Maury County, the place of his resi- 
dence, and was subsequently chosen by Governor 



1 6 HOME LIFE AXD MARRIAGE. 

Carroll as one of his stafif officers. He was then 
about twenty-seven years old; very }'outhful in 
appearance, but with a fine presence, though not 
commanding in stature. With quiet manners, he 
was still courteous and dignified. His own high 
self-respect and unswerving rectitude were shown in 
the respect he habitually paid to the rights and feel- 
ings of others. These sterling qualities attained 
their full development when in the succeeding years 
of power they had ample room to expand, and their 
strength and beneficence were so often apparent. 

The beauty and magnetic presence of the young 
girl, whose worth, dignity, and modest reserve, tem- 
pered by the graces of playful wit and ready repartee, 
formed so striking a counterpart or complement to 
his own character, made an indelible impression 
upon the young lawyer. His labors at the Court 
House \vhere the legislature convened, were charm- 
ingly alternated with visits to Miss Childress. His 
attentions were favorably received and ended in an 
engagement of marriage. He laughingly said to her 
that had he remained the clerk of the legislature 
she would never have consented to marry him ! 

In 1880 Capt. John W. Childress, a nephew of 
Mrs. Polk's, presented to the Tennessee Historical 
Society the original license issued by the clerk of 
the County Court of Rutherford County, authorizing 



HOME LIFE AND MARRIAGE. 



17 



the celebration of the marriage relation between 
James Knox Polk and Sarah Childress. On Thurs- 
day evening, the ist of January, 1824, the marriage 
ceremony was performed by the Rev. Dr. Henderson, 
pastor of the Presbyterian churchy 

A numerous company of guests did honor to the 
occasion, and it was, as a great-granddaughter of 
Mrs. Childress says, " a large country weddin^." 
One of that merry gathering, Mrs. Daniel Graham, 
who was Miss Maria Mclver, and at whose nuptials 
Mrs. Polk had been a bridesmaid, lived to see the 
young bride attain the age of eighty-two }'ears. The 
bride and groom were attended by four young 
couples, among whom were Aaron V. Brown and 
Lucius J. Polk. The history of the former bears 
such a resemblance to that of Mr. Polk, that it was 
singularly fitting he should be one of the next and 
best friends on this occasion. They were both 
graduates of the University of North Carolina at 
Chapel Hill, and were partners in the practice of the 
law. Mr. Brown was often a member of the Ten- 
nessee legislature, and a representative in Congress 
five or six years, until 1845, when he was elected 
Governor of Tennessee. In 1857 he was Postmaster- 
General in the Cabinet of President Buchanan. In 
various parts of the country he was frequently men- 
tioned as a candidate for the presidency. His life, 

2 



l8 HOME LIFE AXD MARRIAGE. 

also, was cut short in its prime, for he lived not 
quite ten years longer than his illustrious friend. 

Festivities in honor of the marriage were the order 
of the day. Friday evening, January 2, a large 
party was given the young couple at Mrs. Lytle's. 
The bride remembered that on this occasion she 
wore a blue embroidered silk. The next evening 
an entertainment took place at the house of Mrs.' 
Dr. Rucker, the sister of the bride ; and on Monday 
evening they were invited to a large party at Mrs. 
Wendell's. Tuesday, they were under the unpleas- 
ant necessity of declining the compliment of a 
dinner at Mrs. McCullough's, because they were 
obliged to leave for Columbia, where a company of 
guests had been asked by the parents of the bride- 
groom to meet them the following Thursday even- 
ing. The high waters usual in midwinter made 
travelling somewhat difficult and uncertain, and it 
was important, therefore, to start early, that they 
might be sure to arrive in time to receive the greet- 
ings of those who were to meet in their honor at 
Columbia. 

This beautiful town, the county seat of Maury 

County, " the garden of Tennessee," is situated in 

one of earth's favored regions, and is as fertile as 

the far-famed blue-grass counties of Kentucky. 

[This happy spot was the home of Mr. Polk's rela- 



HOME LIFE A AW MARRIAGE. 1 9 

tives, and the young couple lived in a cottage in 
their midst, the bride receiving from them not only- 
agreeable and acceptable attentions, but gentle and 
afifectionate regard, as a welcome and beloved mem- 
ber of her husband's family. She retained their 
kind consideration as long as they lived! 

Surrounded by loving friends, the honeymoon 
and many following moons passed swiftly away. 
Smoothly and noiselessly the social and domestic 
machinery of life ran on with its innumerable 
wheels, delicate and closely interdependent, and the 
days and weeks slipped by without chronicle. But 
the wedded pair were not drifting idly with the 
stream. Their character gradually expanded, un- 
folded, and rose under the mutually stimulating, 
helpful, and elevating power of thoroughly conge- 
nial daily intercourse, in which one was exactly 
complemented by the other. 

After the marriage of her daughter, Mrs. Chil- 
dress went to Murfreesborough, exchanging her in- 
terest in the farm for a house and lot in town. 
There she lived until her death, refusing to give up 
the old-fashioned home with its large rooms and 
ample grounds, for the more modern house with 
modern conveniences, to which in her old age her 
children urged her to move. 

General Lafayette the friend of the ' American 



20 HOME LIFE AND MARRIAGE. 

Colonies, reached Nashville early in May, 1825, 
in the course of his triumphal progress through the 
United States. He was received with every mark 
of high esteem, and a few days after his arrival 
a grand ball was given in his honor. The hotels 
were overrun with visitors, and Mr. and Mrs. Polk 
were entertained at the house of their friend, Mr. 
John Catron, a leading lawyer of the city. The 
tickets of invitation, which had been sent out some 
weeks before, are remarkably elaborate and artistic 
for the capital of what was then a western State, so 
near the confines of civilization. They reveal an 
enthusiastic regard for the magnanimous foreigner 
who had done so much for our country. They 
were printed on fine paper, eight by ten inches. 
On either side of the page is engraved a large fluted 
column. That on the right is surmounted with a 
bust of Lafayette, inscribed with his name, and is 
intwined with a broad ribbon on which are the 
names of his battles; the dates 1777-81 are on the 
base of the pedestal, around which lie cannon, balls, 
drums, torches, etc. The column on the left is 
similarly decorated with a bust of Jackson, and in- 
scribed with the names of his battles, bearing the 
dates 1813-15. These pillars are united by a strip 
of sky holding the thirteen stars, in the centre of 
which at the top of the arch, appears the blazing 



HOME LIFE AND MARRIAGE. 21 

sun with the date '''y6" in the disk. The strip of 
sky is bounded above by a garland of oak-leaves and 
acorns. Just beneath the sun hovers the American 
eagle with the familiar emblems, the bunch of 
arrows and the branch of peace. In its beak is a 
laurel wreath which it is placing upon the head of 
Washington's bust. This rests upon a fluted column 
rising out of the clouds, and is surrounded with 
guns, spears, swords, banners, and the cap of liberty. 
Below are the words in large capitals, " Welcome 
Lafayette ! " In the remaining space between the 
pillars is printed the invitation to the ball, signed by 
the names of the twelve managers, who were among 
the chief citizens of Nashville. This design, full of 
patriotic pride, was the work of R. E. W. Earle, 
who lived at the Hermitage and painted many por- 
traits of Jackson, his beloved and honored patron. 
The painter's grave is only a few feet from the well- 
known tomb of the General, and is covered with a 
slab bearing this epitaph : " Artist, Friend, and 
Companion of General Andrew Jackson." 

The ball was given at the Nashville Inn, the 
principal hotel, and among those present were Mr. 
and Mrs. Polk, who had come from Columbia in 
honor of the noble Frenchman and revolutionary 
hero. This grand entertainment shared the usual 
fate of all celebrations prepared on so extensive a 



22 HOME LIFE AND MARRIAGE. 

scale. The most vivid remembrance it has left is 
not of the distinguished guests, nor of the brilliant 
assemblage, nor of the graceful and splendid picture 
it presented, but of the crowd and the crush, which 
were so uncomfortable as to obscure all other 
recollections. 



A WIDER LIFE. 



CHAPTER III. 

1825-1833. 

1\ /TR. POLK assiduously attended to the duties 
■^^ -^ of his profession, practising law in the courts 
of Maury and the adjoining counties. During the 
long periods later in life when he was busily engaged 
with the cares of government, as member of Con- 
gress or Governor of Tennessee, and until he be- 
came President of the United States, the practice of 
his profession was only suspended. As soon as his 
term of office expired, he returned with ardor to 
the pursuit of his chosen calling. It was one of his 
maxims that a man should never abandon his pro- 
fession, and if called away for a time, should return 
to it as soon as possible. 

His talents and force of character continued to 
win the esteem and confidence of his fellow-citizens ; 
and when he became a candidate for Congress his 
active canvass was successful. In 1825 he was 
elected to represent the district composed of the 
counties of Giles, Maury, Lincoln, and Bedford, in 



26 MR. POLK'S CANVASS. 

the Congress of the United States. This was a 
high distinction at that time. 

The Hon. A. O. P. Nicholson had ahvays known 
Mr. Polk. " They were near neighbors, belonged 
to the same profession, were members of the same 
political family, and closely identified with the po- 
litical conflicts of each successive year." In the 
following extract Judge Nicholson speaks of that 
whereof he knew : — • 

"At the election in 1825 Mr. Polk was chosen 
a member of Congress, after a most arduous and 
warmly contested canvass. In this canvass, the 
peculiar traits of his character were prominently 
developed. His competitors were men of age, ex- 
perience, and intelligence. He was young, and 
comparatively inexperienced and unknown. It was 
a contest to be decided mainly upon personal 
popularity. The people were not then divided 
into two great political parties. The candidates 
all professed the same general political faith. 
The chances at the outset were decidedly against 
him, but he had set his heart upon success, and 
he resolved to attain it. The district was large, 
but he traversed and canvassed it again and again. 
Before the canvass was half over he had displayed 
so much activity and energy in his movements, and 
had instilled into his supporters so much of his 



MR. POLK'S CAA'VASS. 



27 



own ardent zeal that he was regarded by each of 
his competitors as the most formidable opponent. 
In his public speeches there was always an earnest- 
ness and sincerity of manner which was peculiarly 
impressive. He seemed ever to feel what he said, 
and to speak with an animation and ardor which 
flowed from his heart This was the secret of his 
success as a popular orator. He was persuasive 
because he spoke from his heart as well as from 
his head. His superior tact in illustrating his 
positions by humorous anecdotes, of which he had 
stored away in his capacious memory very many, 
while he was always courteous and mild and 
respectful, aided him to win the predilections of 
his hearers. As the canvass approached its termina- 
tion he displayed all the skill of a veteran general 
in marshalling his forces for an impending battle. 
He dashed from point to point over his district 
with a rapidity which struck his opponents with 
surprise, and paralyzed them with despair. He 
infused into his own friends the same ardor and 
energy which actuated himself When the election 
came on he was triumphantly successful." 

In the autumn of 1825, leaving his wife in the 
quiet cottage-home in Columbia, Mr. Polk started 
on horseback, with Colonel Allen and several 
other members of Congress, who were travelling to 



28 A WIDER LIFE. 

Washington. At Baltimore tliey took the stage- 
coach, and left their horses there until their return 
in March. When Mr. Polk went again to Wash- 
ington, in the autumn of 1826, he was accom- 
panied by his wife. The roads were rough, and 
the fatigues of the long journey very great, but 
such obstacles could not deter her. The strength, 
buoyant spirits, and easy courage of youth enabled 
her to enjoy all the pleasures, and to make light 
of the toils by the way. The horizon of a wider 
life and a more extended prospect now stretched 
its dim outline before her, — the soft tints and misty 
shapes of earth and sky blending till she could 
scarcely discern where the ceaseless endeavor of 
the one was met by the perfect peace of the 
other. So in her future, the exalted influences of 
success, joy, and content, w^ere to mingle with all 
her earthly experiences. The pleasant village 
occupations and associations were displaced by 
the unknown companionships and events of new 
and untried scenes. 

They travelled in their own carriage, attended by 
two of their colored servants, a man and a maid, 
and thus accomplished the long and difficult jour- 
ney, — resting at night in some farmhouse, and 
enjoying by day the scener}' and changes by the 
way. They were accompanied by General Sam 



GOING TO WASHINGTON: 



29 



Houston, and at Knoxville were joined by Judge 
Hugh L. White. It was in November, and the 
golden sunshine and brilhant colors of October 
had vanished, leaving the soft, silvery haze of 
mid-autumn, when a spirit of memory or reverie 
seems to hover in the air and to impress the 
landscape with its dreamy quietude. 

The grand old wildwood solitudes lay, for miles 
at a time, on both sides of the way. A great 
part of the country through which they passed 
had once been the immense hunting-grounds of 
the Choctaw, the Cherokee, the Creek, and other 
tribes of Indians, who occupied the vast and rich 
lands extending from the Ohio to the Tennessee 
River on the west and south, and eastward to 
the Cumberland Mountains. These forests of mag- 
nificent poplars, elms, sycamores, locusts, maples, 
cottonwoods, oaks, and numerous other trees, 
among which were the smaller growths of dog- 
wood, holly, laurel, etc., had been held by the 
dusky warriors as a common territory for killing 
game, and were grandly enclosed by the mighty 
waters of these two majestic rivers, and the steep 
mountain fastnesses. Undeveloped and undreamed 
of by these careless rovers lay its great wealth 
of resources in minerals, and its treasures which 
the magic wand of industry and knowledge was 



30 AT WASHINGTON. 

to call forth in coming years. When our travellers 
were leisurely journeying through this attractive 
region the picturesque tribes had departed, leav- 
ing comparatively few traces of their ancient 
reign other than the peculiar and musical names 
they had given to flowing rivers and wide tracts 
of country. 

Arriving at Washington, Mr. and Mrs. Polk took 
temporary lodgings at Williamson's Hotel on Penn- 
sylvania Avenue. The streets and pavements were 
far from what they now are; the architecture of the 
public buildings and private dwellings was sim- 
plicity itself compared with the present structures. 
But Washington was nevertheless a delightful city, 
notwithstanding its physical deficiencies, for then 
as now it was a centre of learning, refinement, and 
activity, — the capital of the nation. 

In the third decade of the century it was seldom 
that the members of Congress occupied their own 
or hired house during their transient stay in the 
capital; and frequently two or more families would 
" mess " together. This camp phrase means that 
several of them would engage apartments in the 
same house, in which there was a dining-room and 
parlor set apart for their special use. This arrange- 
ment secured something of the privacy of home 
with its congenial company and pleasant daily in- 



AT WASHINGTON. 3 1 

tercourse. In this way, at various times, Mr. and 
Mrs. Polk were the companions of the Hon. Hugh 
Lawson White, Senator from Tennessee, the Hon. 
Mr. Jarvis of Maine, the Hon. John C. Calhoun of 
South Carolina, and others. Mrs. Polk's strong 
understanding and sound sense, the winning gifts 
and graces of her person and character, were readily 
recognized, and she soon became a favorite with 
all. 

It was the central period of President John 
Ouincy Adams's administration. The public mind 
was not agitated by any great political question, 
and the social life of the capital city flowed 
pleasantly on. This tranquillity, however, had for 
a short time been disturbed by the duel between 
Randolph and Clay in the spring of 1826. The 
declining health of Mrs. Adams permitted her no 
longer to appear in general society, except at 
public receptions in the White House, where she 
presided with the animation and gracious dignity 
which had made her supremacy so potent when 
Mr. Adams was Secretary of State. 

Mrs. Polk's preference was for the Presbyterian 
church, the choice of her parents, whose ministry 
had been her religious guide, except when under 
the charge of the Moravians at Salem. Her hus- 
band made a point of going with her to religious 



32 JO URNE YINGS. 

services, and they became regular attendants in 
the congregation of the First Presbyterian Church, 
on Four- and a-half Street, of which the Rev. Dr. 
Post was then the pastor. 

When the session of Congress closed, they 
returned to their cottage-home in Columbia. She 
varied the quiet enjoyments of home with visits 
to her mother and other relatives in Murfrees- 
borough ; and he devoted himself to the political 
canvass, having again become a candidate for Con- 
gress ; and after a severe contest with a formi- 
dable competitor, was re-elected. Thenceforward 
until 1839, when he voluntarily ceased to be a 
candidate, he was chosen every two years, and 
served his fellow-citizens in the deliberations of 
the ^National Assembly with signal ability and 
faithfulness. Thus for fourteen consecutive years 
the duties of his high office fixed his residence 
in Washington during the winter months. The 
summers were spent at home in Tennessee. In 
the annual trips, different routes were taken, thus 
gaining variety and much pleasant information. 
Sometimes they went by stage-coach through East 
Tennessee and Virginia, via P'redericksburg, — on 
one occasion, in a carriage to Lexington, Kentucky, 
going from there by the Maysville route to the 
Ohio River, taking the steamer to Wheeling, and 



yOURNEYINGS. 33 

the stage to Washington. Another time they 
returned by way of New York City, thence to 
Albany, by the Erie Canal to Buffalo, from there 
to the Niagara Falls, and thence homeward. In 
this circuitous route they saw different phases of 
life ; and enjoyed even the tedious progress of the 
canal-boat, which gave ample time to gaze upon 
and to admire the panorama of fine and varied 
landscapes. Mrs. Polk had neither care nor trouble 
about any travelling arrangements, and enjoyed 
all the journeys. It made little difference to her 
whether the accommodations were good or not, 
she was thoroughly satisfied with the pleasure, and 
made light of whatever hardship might befall. 

On one occasion, while travelling in the Virginia 
mountains, the stage was overturned and several 
gentlemen injured. Mr. Lyon, a senator, who 
was one of the passengers, said to her, " Put your 
foot in my hand, Madame, and I will help you 
out." She did so, and came out of the wreck 
unhurt, not understanding how it could be, but 
still thankful for the deliverance. 

Another incident occurred near Columbia. The 
stage-driver ventured into a swollen stream, when 
the horses got into deep water and began to swim. 
An inch or two more, and the stage would have 
been engulfed. A man coming up the bank on 

3 



34 70 URNE YINGS. 

horseback, cried to the driver to stop. Mr. Polk, 
who could not swim, called out from his seat 
within the stage, offering a reward of any amount 
of money that might be named, if somebody would 
save his wife. The man on horseback seemed too 
much frightened to grasp the opportunity, and 
Mr. Granville Pillow, who was sitting beside Mrs. 
Polk, throwing his coat down on the seat, exclaimed, 
" I will take you out, Madame ! " Swimming to the 
bank and compelling the man to give up his horse, 
he mounted, and plunging into the rapid current, 
came up behind the stage, and asking her to step 
upon the high hind wheel, and then upon the 
shoulder of the horse, he held her firmly in his 
arms and bore her safely to the bank. She did 
not even get her feet damp. 

During the session of 1830-183 1 she remained 
at home in Columbia, but greatly missed the cheer 
of Mr. Polk's companionship. One day, much de- 
pressed, a friend playfully asked why she did not 
go to Washington, instead of staying at home and 
wearing so long a face. 

"I stayed at home," she returned, "to save 
money to make a display upon next winter." 
This was only pleasantry. She had no occasion 
to save, for her husband had a lucrative practice, 
and was not dependent upon his salary. 



LETTER FROM MR. POLK. 35 

The following letter was written just before the 
close of the session. It is on a large, square sheet 
of paper, folded and sealed in the old style, when 
envelopes were unknown, and is addressed to her 
at Columbia, bearing his Congressional frank. It 
affords a glimpse of the manners of the time. 

Washington City, March 2ci, 183 1. 

My dear Sarah, — I write you from my seat 
in the Hall at an evening session. It is now be- 
tween eight and nine o'clock at night; the Hall 
is splendidly lighted up, as is usual at an evening 
session, and the lobbies are crowded with ladies 
and spectators. We will probably sit until mid- 
night and very probably later. At what hour to- 
morrow we shall adjourn I can form no opinion, 
but I hope in time to enable us to get to Balti- 
more to-morrow. 

I will add a postscript to this letter in the morn- 
ing before I seal and mail it, and it will be of course 
the last that I will write you, before I hope to see 
you. I will run a race home with this letter, and 
think I shall beat it. I know I shall if I have luck 
with the stages and steamboats. 

Very affectionately, your husband, 

James K. Polk. 



36 LETTER FROM MR. POLK. 

N. B. House Repts., March 3d, 183 1. 

The House sat until four o'clock this morning, 
and have just met again, it being now eleven 
o'clock. About two o'clock I became so much 
worn down and fatigued, that for the first time 
during my service here, I found myself compelled 
to go to my lodgings. I feel rather in low spirits 
this morning, for I fear that the House may sit to 
so late an hour as to prevent me from reaching 
Baltimore for to-morrow's stage. I will, however, 
leave, at all events, in time to get there, unless 
there should be some matter of paramount im- 
portance to render it indispensable for us to re- 
main. I will get off if I can with any sort of 
propriety. 

Very affectionately, your husband, 

James K. Polk. 

In 1833 Mr. and Mrs. Polk went in their private 
carriage through Virginia to Washington. On the 
night of November 13-14 they were at a country 
house near Wytheville, when the grand meteoric 
display of that year took place. Early in the 
morning, before they were up, a servant came in 
to make a fire, and said in reply to some question 
about the time of day, " Ole Miss 's been up a long 



METEORIC SHOWER. 7)7 

time, scared nearly to death. The sky 's faUin' and 
the day of judgment 's come." 

Mr. Polk stepped out as soon as possible, but the 
fast coming dawn prevented his seeing much of the 
astonishing spectacle. Mr. Edward E. Barnard, 
the well-known astronomer of Vanderbilt Univer- 
sity, afterward of Lick Observatory in California, 
says : " You have read of the v^onderful display 
of November, 1833, when the heavens flashed and 
flamed with countless myriads of burning stars, as 
plentiful in their fiery descent as the flakes of a 
December snowstorm. Ah ! That was a wonder- 
ful sight. How we love to listen to our grand- 
fathers and grandmothers, as they expatiate on the 
wonders of that awful night when God's long pa- 
tience seemed to have come to an end, and the 
day of wrath near its dawn. Was it not enough 
to shed terror in the soul of the timid, when the 
whole canopy of heaven seemed falling in one 
ceaseless rain of fire .-' And what a dawn was 
that, when the great sun showed himself in the 
eastern sky, blotting out with his mellow beams 
that night of terror. But there were those dur- 
ing that night in whose hearts the thought of 
terror never entered, and who with weariless eye- 
lids watched until the dawn — to them how unwel- 
come — paled the glorious sight. How difl"erent in 



38 MRS. FOLK'S FOR TRAIT. 

knowing and not knowing the cause of this superb 
phenomenon ! " 

The artist Earle had spent some time with Gen- 
eral Jackson at the White House. During his stay 
there the Tennesseans who were assembled one 
evening in the parlor of Mr. and Mrs. Polk pro- 
posed that they should have their portraits painted 
by him, and this proposition was soon carried into 
effect. Mrs. Polk's portrait, the earliest one of her, 
has preserved her youthful appearance, with the 
bright eyes, and raven hair hanging in clustering 
curls around the face. It has justly been called 
the picture of a bride, for the freshness of youth 
clung to her for many years, 

Mr. Polk was much opposed to banks, and had 
taken strong ground with General Jackson against 
irresponsible paper currency, and in favor of the 
exclusive use of gold and silver as a circulating 
medium. He was consistent, and used specie in 
the payment of all his debts. The opposition of 
General Jackson and his party to the United States 
Bank, and indeed to all banks, created great excite- 
ment throughout the country for several years, and 
was a prolific theme of Congressional debate, and 
in all public speech on political occasions. There 
was a time when the currency of each State was at 
a small discount in the adjoining States, and this 



BANK NOTES AND SPECIE. 39 

irregularity and loss to travellers and others gave 
force to the arguments of those who advocated 
specie payments in all business transactions. 

On a journey to Washington Mr. and Mrs. Polk 
had rested during the night, as usual. Early one 
morning, just as everything was ready, and the 
trunks were locked, Mr. Polk entered in haste, 
and said, " Sarah, get some money out of the 
trunk. I have n't enough in my pocket to pay 
expenses during the day." 

With a little flush of excitement, being much 
hurried, she opened a trunk and began turning up 
the clothing, in one corner and then in another, to 
find the bags of specie packed in different places. 
" Don't you see," she exclaimed, " how trouble- 
some it is to carry around gold and silver? This 
is enough to show you how useful banks are." 

" Sarah, you 've turned your politics, then," he 
rejoined ; " but all I want now is that money." 

They were accompanied by a party of Congress- 
men and friends, and when seated in the coach Mr. 
Polk related with considerable embellishment and 
humor the incident that had just occurred. It was 
apparent that his wife had taken sides against him 
on the Bank question. All clapped their hands, 
and were so boisterous in their mirth that the 
driver, leaning from his seat on the box, asked, 



40 ' ' BANK NOTES AND SPECIE. 

" What is the matter, gentlemen ? What are you 
laughing at? " 

Several of the party, who held opinions in opposi- 
tion to those of Mr. Polk, were much pleased and 
amused at the idea of his wife sympathizing with 
them. 

Not long after this, when a notable Virginian, 
whose opinions coincided with those of Mr. Polk, 
was calling upon them, she remarked, " Mr. Polk, 
you and your friends certainly are mistaken about 
that Bank question. Why, if we must use gold 
and silver all the time, a lady can scarcely carry 
enough money with her." 

The visitor laughed, and Mr. Polk told her after- 
ward that their Virginia friend would certainly 
conclude that she was not quite right politically. 



LIFE IN WASHINGTON. 



CHAPTER IV. 

1834-1839. 

T N the summer of 1834, at her home in Cohimbia, 
-*■ Mrs. Polk came to the conclusion, toward which 
her wishes and meditations had long been tending, 
to unite with the church. Speaking of this decision 
to no one but her husband's mother, who was " a 
strict church-woman," — a Presbyterian — she was 
surprised on the following Sunday to hear it an- 
nounced from the pulpit that the door of the church 
was open for the admission of members, and sur- 
prised still more to find that she herself was the 
only candidate. So pleased was Mr. Polk's mother 
with this decision that she had brought about its 
immediate accomplishment by making arrangements 
for it with Mr. Larrabee, the pastor. 

While Mr. Polk was in the habit of attending 
church with his wife, it often happened that as the 
hour for services approached, he was engaged in 
the company of men who, either from indifference 
or carelessness, forgot the Sabbath and its universal 
obhgation. As it was an awkward and difficult 



44 ATTENDING CHURCH. 

thing for him to excuse himself, his wife took the 
case into her own dexterous management. Shawled 
and bonneted, she would enter the room and ask 
her husband and his friends to go with her to 
church, saying that she did not wish to go alone. 
One day in Washington, when she did this, a visi- 
tor asked, " Mrs. Polk, what is the use of going to 
church ? You Presbyterians believe that you will 
be saved anyhow." 

" Oh, no, sir, we believe no such thing," she 
replied ; " and I wish to go particularly to-day, be- 
cause Dr. B., a fine preacher, is to fill the pulpit." 

"Then I would like to go with you, Madame, 
for I have played cards all night with him many 
a time." 

Her custom of requesting her husband's Sunday 
callers to accompany him and her to church soon 
had the effect of dispersing them before her appear- 
ance, if they did not wish to accept the invitation. 

Soon after becoming settled in Washington, Mrs. 
Polk, wishing to keep up her music, procured an 
instrument and an instructor and applied herself 
diligently to the task. But it was not long before 
the unequal struggle became wearisome. With the 
circle of her acquaintance constantly widening, and 
engagements multiplying, she was obliged to give 
up the music studies. 



FRIENDS AND COMPANIONS. 45 

At this point it may be well to mention a few 
of the ladies who were her friends and companions 
at that time. Mrs. General Van Ness was admired 
for her beauty and accomplishments, and venerated 
for her Christian character and beneficence. She 
founded the Washington City Orphan Asylum; and 
it is said that she was the first American woman 
who was buried with public honors. Her niece, 
Cornelia, the daughter of Cornelius Van Ness, the 
Chief Justice, and Governor of Vermont, spent some 
time with her aunt, in the winter of 1 828-1829, and 
was a charming addition to Washington society. 
A few years later she married, in Paris, Mr. Roose- 
velt of New York, General Lafayette giving the 
bride away. Other friends were : the future Mrs. 
J. J. Crittenden, at that time Mrs. William H. Ash- 
ley, wife of the " sole representative in Congress 
from Missouri;" Mrs. Levi Woodbury, the wife 
of the Secretary of the Navy during President 
Jackson's administration; Mrs. Louis McLane, the 
wife of the Secretary of State in the same Cabi- 
net, but who afterward became Secretary of the 
Treasury; Mrs. Thomas H. Benton, the daugh- 
ter of Governor McDowell of Virginia; Mrs. Clay, 
of Alabama; Mrs. Pleasanton, of Washington; 
Mrs. Edward Livingston ; Mrs. Jarvis, of Maine ; 
Mrs. Lewis Cass, wife of the Secretary of War; 



46 A'EIF YEAR'S CALLS. 

Mrs. Chamberlain, of New York; Mrs. Robert Y. 
Hayne, of South Carolina; Mrs. Robert J. Walker, 
of Mississippi ; Mrs. Gordon, of Virginia; Mrs. Isaac 
Hill, of New Hampshire; Mrs. Caleb Gushing, of 
Massachusetts; Mrs. Rives, of Virginia; Mrs. 
Marcy, of New York; Mrs. R. H. Gillet; Mrs. 
William G. Preston and Mrs. John G. Calhoun, 
of South Carolina ; and many others. 

The custom of making social calls on New Year's 
Day was early introduced into Washington society. 
Among Mrs. Polk's recollections of the time when 
she was the wife of a Congressman was the New 
Year call of General Edmund P. Gaines. He was 
dressed in full regimentals, and wore at his side the 
sword presented to him by the Legislature of Ten- 
nessee. " Madame," said he, " I have come to call 
on you, and have worn in your honor my Tennessee 
sword." 

The country was greatly disturbed in the spring 
of 1832 by the Black Hawk war; and two. months 
afterward by the first appearance of the Asiatic 
cholera, which broke out at Quebec and swept with 
violence over the land, taking the course of the 
lakes and rivers and other principal routes of travel. 
General Scott's army, in vessels on the northern 
lakes, going to meet Black Hawk, was met and 
routed by the cholera, a subtler and more powerful 



NULLIFICA TION: 47 

foe than the Indian chief. In the succeeding month 
General Atkinson defeated Black Hawk and took 
him prisoner. 

But the greatest excitement occurred in Decem- 
ber of this year, and near the close of General Jack- 
son's first term as President, when South Carolina 
attempted to nullify the tariff laws enacted by Con- 
gress. The whole country was in a tremor, and the 
President's celebrated proclamation on the subject 
was the theme of fierce debate in both Houses of 
Congress. These violent discussions were also heard 
on the hustings everywhere. This agitation, per- 
meating all departments of life, influenced social 
affairs to a considerable extent, especially in Wash- 
ington. The subject which had been under fierce 
discussion for three or four years reached a climax 
in 1832, and resulted in the increased popularity of 
General Jackson. He was re-elected President by 
an overwhelming majority, receiving two hundred 
and nineteen electoral votes, out of two hundred 
and sixtj^-eight cast by the electoral colleges. 

It is not within the scope of the record of a 
woman's life, to discourse of wars and political dis- 
turbances, and weighty matters of State. They are 
mentioned simply to show what were the agitations 
of social life, arousing partisan feeling and separating 
friends. To avoid these dangers, not only a clear 



48 M/?S. POLK'S PROPRIETY. 

understanding and good judgment were required, 
but also unselfish, kindly forbearance and gentle 
consideration for the rights and sensibilities of 
others. Guided by rare discernment, prudence, and 
self-command, Mrs. Polk's daily intercourse was 
free from hasty or unkind allusions and irritating 
talk. 

With the lowly self-estimation of love, she felt 
that her character had been moulded by the wise 
influence of her husband. She relates that, in the 
exuberance of spirits which had never felt the 
restraint of hard experiences, she would sometimes 
make a hasty remark, which would be instantly 
checked, not by a reproof, — Mr. Polk seldom told 
her that she did wrong, — but by a smile which 
she well understood to mean disapproval of her 
inconsiderateness. 

The following incident shows her high ideal of 
the dignity of her position as the wife of a Con- 
gressman. The wife of a Cabinet officer wrote her 
that she was going to the races on that day because 
two prominent Tennesseans were to run their horses, 
both of which were noted for good blood and great 
speed, and that if Mrs. Polk wished to see the spec- 
tacle, she would call 'in her carriage at the proper 
hour, and take her out to the course. Mrs. Polk 
replied with thanks, but declined to go. In the 



MRS. POLK'S PROPRIETY. 49 

evening, meeting her at a party, the lady said, " Oh, 
why did you not go with me to-day ? " She then 
told of the large concourse, including government 
officials, members of Congress, and many ladies, 
Mrs. Polk answered that she declined because she 
had never attended the races, and did not wish to 
violate her rule. 

" Well," was the laughing reply, " that is a reflec- 
tion on me." " Oh, no," returned Mrs. Polk, " not 
at all. You are in the habit of going. I am not." 
She did not break this rule, and never saw a horse- 
race. Her ideal Qf propriety was the counterpart 
of her husband's, who had a delicate conception of 
the fitness of things. He did not wish his wife even 
to jest about personal incongruities, or anything 
that reflected on the character or manners of others. 
He would sometimes say, " Sarah, I wish you would 
not say that. I understand you, but others might 
not, and a wrong impression might be made." 

" That," said she, " was the strongest rebuke he 
ever gave me. When persons speak of my strict 
ideas of propriety, I think of my husband's circum- 
spection, and reply, ' You were not brought up in 
so strict a school as I was.' " 

Though Mr. Polk was one of the youngest mem- 
bers when he first took his seat in the House, he 
was at the beginning of his second session made 

4 



50 HER ENTERTAINMENTS. 

chairman of the Committee on Foreign Relations. 
He was not only the firm political supporter, but the 
ardent personal friend of President Jackson, and 
was looked upon as the leader of the Jackson forces 
in the House of Representatives. Recollections of 
the past undoubtedly aided to strengthen the warm 
friendship always felt by General Jackson for Mr. 
Polk. It is said that when young Jackson with his 
mother and brother fled before the army of Corn- 
wallis in the war of the Revolution, they took refuge 
in Mecklenburg County, North Carolina, and lived 
for some time with the neighbors and friends of Mr. 
Polk's father and grandfather. 

About the middle of General Jackson's second 
term Mr. Polk was chosen Speaker of the House, 
and held the office until his withdrawal from Con- 
gress. The responsibilities which this position im- 
posed upon his wife were fulfilled by her with ease 
and dignity, while her entertainments left many 
pleasant memories. Additional rooms in the house 
where they boarded were obtained for these festival 
occasions. Making her apartments elastic and ex- 
pansible at her pleasure, she could receive a large 
party of guests at any time, without the care of an 
extensive establishment. 

Among her associates were Mrs. Seaton and 
Mrs. Gales, although their husbands were adher- 



MRS. SEA TON. 



51 



ents of the party to which Mr. Polk was opposed. 
Gales and Seaton published the " National Intel- 
ligencer" for many years, and it was a prosper- 
ous paper under their control. On one occasion, 
Mrs. Seaton was desirous that Mrs. Polk should 
attend an entertainment she proposed giving, 
and was told by Mr. Polk that his wife would be 
present if he could get through with his duties 
in time to escort her. She impulsively replied 
that Mrs. Polk must come, whether he could 
attend her or not, and that she would provide 
an escort for her. Thereupon she invited Mr. 
Buchanan, a bachelor senator, afterward President, 
and Colonel King, another bachelor; but the lady 
did not appear. When Mrs. Seaton next met 
Mrs. Polk she said, " I invited those two old 
Democrats to be company for you, and behold, 
you did not come ! " 

) Mrs. Polk preferred to remain at home when 
her husband was too closely engaged to give 
her his attendance, although there were many 
gentlemen offering courtesies and desiring to 
wait upon her to places of amusement. Taking 
a deep interest in his patient inquiries into the 
abstruse and complicated political questions of 
the day, she was at pains to inform herself on 
these subjects, and become familiar with the 



52 BIDDING ADIEU. 

great matters then exercising the minds of pub- 
He men. But she had the intuitive tact which 
is rarely united with such insight and understand- 
ing, and was too dehcate and reserved to proclaim 
political opinions, or to join in the discussions of 
party differences. Being so intelligent and well- 
informed, yet so unobtrusive, she was a charming 
companion. Able also to enter into the views of 
public men, and to quickly comprehend their 
plans, while appreciating every remark, she was 
not always looking out for the first lull in the 
conversation to express her own peculiar opinions, 
but on the contrary always listened intently and 
answered courteously. She was ever a good 
listener. Mr. Franklin Pierce, afterward President, 
at one time a boarder in the next house, was 
one of her most cordial and constant friends. 
At public assemblages he sometimes took charge 
of her, saying to her husband that he could go 
and talk politics with the gentlemen, and leave to 
him the more agreeable privilege of promenading 
and conversing with Mrs. Polk. 

When, in 1839, they were bidding adieu to 
their friends, at the close of his Congressional 
service, Mrs. Seaton and Mrs. Gales were among 
the throng making the parting call. When Mrs. 
Seaton approached Mrs. Polk she said : " I am 



BIDDING ADIEU. 53 

very sorry you are going away; we have had 
many pleasant hours together. But while I am 
sad on account of losing your society, there is a 
feeling of joyousness connected with it which I 
will not hide from you. When Mr. Polk is gone 
he will not be electioneering against Mr, Seaton, 
and will not record his vote against him." Messrs. 
Gales and Seaton were defeated in their efforts to 
obtain the public printing as long as Mr. Polk's 
influence was in Washington to oppose them ; 
hence Mrs. Seaton's undisguised joy at his depart- 
ure. " She was a perfect lady," added Mrs. Polk, 
in relating this incident, " and she would not have 
said that behind my back." 

Among the pleasant episodes of this time of 
leave-taking, was the presentation of a poem in 
her honor by Judge Story. When Mr. Polk be- 
came Speaker of the House, he and his wife 
took a suite of rooms in a large house on Penn- 
sylvania Avenue, known as Elliott's _ ^jijjding. It 
was not then considered proper for the Speaker 
to sit at table with the other members of Congress, 
the principal reason for this notion being the 
awkward positions which might ensue when the 
affairs and measures of Congress were discussed at 
meals, as would inevitably happen. The Speaker 
would be criticised or blamed, or at least often 



54 POETIC TRIBUTE. 

mentioned. The remainder of Elliott's Building 
was appropriated to the Supreme Court. Mrs. 
Polk frequently met the judges and members of 
the court, and became so well known to them 
that upon her departure many of them sent let- 
ters expressing regret at the loss of her presence. 
Judge McLean said in his letter that he " could 
not write poetry like Brother Story," but that his 
sentiments toward her were as warm, and his 
regrets at her leaving as great, as if he possessed 
the power to express himself in verse. 

To Mrs. Polk, 
On her leaving Washington. 

Lady, I heard with saddened heart 

The melancholy strain : 
So soon from these fair scenes to part, 

Ne'er to return again. 

How swift have flown the busy hours, 

Since we as strangers met ; 
And some so bright, so strewed with flowers, 

Are fresh in memory yet. 

For I have listened to thy voice, 

And watched thy playful mind, 
Truth in its noblest sense thy choice, 

Yet gentle, graceful, kind. 

O, may thy future days be blest 

With all our hearts approve ; 
The sunshine of a spotless breast, 

The joy of mutual love. 



FAREWELL. 55 

Farewell ! And when thy distant home, 

Cheered by thy smile shall be, 
And o'er the past thick fancies come, 

I ask one thought of me. 

Joseph D. Story. 
Washington, February, 1839. 



At the close of the session of Congress, March 4, 
1839, the House passed a unanimous vote of thanks 
to the retiring Speaker. In his farewell address, one 
may plainly read between the lines his devotion to 
duty, and the combination of firmly held opinions 
with courteous deference to the opinions of those 
opposed to him. 



WIFE OF THE GOVERNOR. 



CHAPTER Y. 

1839-1843. 

73 EFRESHING indeed was the repose of the 
-*■ ^ Columbia home to the two who returned 
to abide beneath its peaceful shelter, after fourteen 
years of going and coming, like birds of passage. 
This frequent change, and her light-hearted enjoy- 
ment of every day's experience, had been beneficial 
to mind and body, while the prospect of uninter- 
rupted home life was all the sweeter, contrasted with 
the ceaseless change and variety of the last ten 
years and a half 

According to his habit Mr. Polk at once resumed 
the practice of law, his wife taking up the old daily 
routine, more than contented with her surround- 
ings, securing order and peace by her presence, 
while sympathizing with her husband in all his 
studies and pursuits. 

But this tranquillity was soon broken. Mr. Polk 
became a candidate for governor, and began the 
laborious task of canvassing the State. It was 
the most warmly contested campaign that had ever 



60 MR. FOLIC ELECTED GOVERNOR. 

taken place in Tennessee, and he went on horse- 
back all over the State, making speeches every- 
where to the crowds assembled to meet him. 
His competitor was the then Governor, the Hon. 
Newton Cannon. From the loopholes of her re- 
treat at Columbia, his wife watched the conflict, 
receiving frequent letters from her absent husband, 
whose round of arduous labors had such an electric 
effect in disturbing the quiet of her cottage-home. 
At the election in August he was triumphant by a 
majority of three or four thousand, a result highly 
gratifying to General Jackson, who was delighted 
to see his own Tennessee going in the political path 
he considered safe and right. 

Judge J. C. Guild relates the following incident 
of that summer, which parts the curtains of the past 
and affords a glimpse of the scenes and the persons 
of more than half a century ago in Tennessee. 

"After the August campaign of 1839, which 
resulted in the election of James K. Polk to the 
gubernatorial chair, the leading Democratic politi- 
cians in and about Nashville assembled with their 
families and a concourse of young people at Tyree 
Springs, in Sumner County, for a little rest and 
recreation. 

" General Jackson was there. Felix Grundy, then 
Attorney-General of Mr. Van Buren's administra- 



MOOT COURT. 6 1 

tion, with Judge Campbell, the old minister to 
Russia, General Armstrong, a lineal descendant of 
the gallant old trooper, and captain of General 
Jackson's body-guard in the Creek war, Governor 
Polk, who had just been elected, and all the old 
notables of that party, with a bevy of beautiful 
young ladies to grace the occasion, were also 
there. 

" The weather was delightful, the spring Avaters 
refreshing, and arrangements were made to pass 
the time pleasantly. An old gardener, not far dis- 
tant, was employed to bring fresh melons, fruits and 
flowers to the party every morning, and upon the 
greensward under the ample shade of the great 
elms with which the yard was studded, was held 
every day, after breakfast, a moot or mock court, 
of which Judge Grundy was the Chief Justice, and 
General Jackson, who sat near by, an associate. 
The court was opened in due form every morning 
by Colonel Harris, the Marshal, and the young 
gentlemen, indicted for every little trivial offence 
conceivable, such as failing to bow when passing 
a lady, or any other slight breach of common cour- 
tesy, were brought up for trial. To be tried was 
to be fined. No one got clear. Judge Grundy 
announced that one rule of the court was that he 
who grumbled at the magnitude of his fine should 



62 MOOT COURT. 

be fined double. So the fines were always paid 
without a murmur, and the party was constantly 
supplied with watermelons, muskmelons, canta- 
loupes, peaches and pears in abundance, while all 
the ladies had a daily supply of beautiful flowers. 
" After each and every gentleman had been fined 
several times, the marshal reported to the court 
that the expenses were becoming a little too bind- 
ing on some of the guests, and asked what should 
be done. On ascertaining that the wagon had 
arrived that morning and was full of nice supplies, 
Judge Grundy decided that as so much money had 
been already paid to the gardener, his prices must 
be exceedingly high, and therefore he should be 
indicted at once, and brought before the court 
for extortion. Accordingly, the old gardener, who 
had been a soldier with General Jackson in the 
Creek War or at New Orleans, was formally in- 
dicted and brought into court. He had retained 
two eminent lawyers of Louisiana, who happened 
to be of the party, as his counsel, and they argued 
the case with much ingenuity and humor for an 
hour or more, taking the ground that not being 
of the party, their client was not within the juris- 
diction of the court. To the guests who attentively 
followed and enjoyed the argument, it seemed that 
the old gardener would certainly get clear, but at 



AT NASHVILLE. 



63 



the close, Judge Grundy turned to General Jackson 
and asked, ' General, is not a sutler subject to the 
rules and regulations of the camp?' 

" General Jackson replied, 'Most certainly, Judge 
Grundy.' 

" ' Oh ! ' exclaimed the old gardener, ' it is all 
over with me ; there is no appeal from the decision 
of General Jackson.' 

" So the Judge fined him the entire load of 
his wagon, which he promptly delivered without 
a word of complaint; albeit a subscription was 
quietly taken up, and the old gardener was fully 
remunerated. 

" And it was quite remarkable that during that 
week so pleasantly spent there, not a word of 
politics or upon any question of public affairs was 
heard, notwithstanding it was a sort of Democratic 
love-feast." 

The capital of Tennessee continued many years 
at Knoxville, where it had first been established ; 
then it was removed to Kingston, then to Murfrees- 
borough, and finally, in 1827, to Nashville. This 
city had never enjoyed the luxury of a governor's 
mansion, and the new incumbent rented the large 
dwelling on Cherry Street known as the Craighead 
house. The rent, only five hundred dollars a year, 
shows the difference between those times and the 



64 AT NASHVILLE. 

present. The Governor's yearly salary was two 
thousand dollars. Cherry Street was then a choice 
neighborhood, and Mrs. Polk had sunny memories 
of the excellent society of those early days. Across 
the street was the home of Col. Samuel D. Morgan, 
an active leader in the Whig party. This, however, 
did not prevent genuine friendliness between his 
family and the Governor and his wife, who were 
often invited over to dine with other guests. These 
invitations Mr. Polk generally declined, saying he 
" could not lose half a day just to go and dine." 
But he wished his wife to go, and she usually repre- 
sented him on these occasions. The attachment of 
the members of Colonel Morgan's family to her 
sometimes produced a division of sentiment in the 
household. One evening Colonel Morgan had an 
illumination in honor of some Whig event, — per- 
haps the triumph of the Whig party in the hotly 
waged presiclential campaign of 1840, — when one 
of his daughters followed him as he lighted the 
candles in the window-panes, and blew them out. 
He bore this outbreak of opposition patiently for 
a little while, relighting the candles ; but suddenly 
turning round, he said, "That is enough now! 
Just come and help me to light these candles ! " 
And she was compelled to assist him in the dis- 
play so obnoxious to her friend across the street. 



AT NASHVILLE. 65 

Colonel Morgan was one of the Board of Com- 
missioners intrusted with the charge of building the 
State House. During the Civil War, earthworks 
were thrown up around this building by the Federal 
army, to form a fortification, which obstructed the 
view from the lower terrace. The sides of the hill 
were stony and rough, in strange contrast to the 
noble temple of liberty rising above them. That 
sight is entirely forgotten now in the beautiful 
grounds surrounding the Capitol. The expanses 
of luxuriant grass, the growing trees, the walks 
winding up and around the hill, with frequent flights 
of steps to aid in the ascent, the fountain and flow- 
ers, and the equestrian statue seem to make Jackson, 
Tennessee's beloved hero, the perpetual guardian 
of his adopted home. The crown of this little gem 
of a park is the fine view, taking in at one sweep 
the city below with its church-spires, its vistas of 
streets, its public buildings and happy homes em- 
bowered in trees ; and the green country beyond ; 
miles and miles of as delightsome a land as was ever 
bestowed upon man by the bountiful hand of the 
Creator. This extensive landscape has the magi- 
cal effect of making the Capitol grounds seem 
larger than they really are, imparting the sense of 
elevation and of ample space. 

Not far from Colonel Morgan's residence lived 
5 



66 AT NASHVILLE. 

James Walker, the father of VVilHam Walker, of 
Nicaragua fame. His wife was a sister of Caleb C. 
Norvell, editor of the " Nashville Whig," whose 
vigorous editorials against Mr. Polk and his party 
were issued with telling effect every other day. 
Mrs. Walker who was warmly attached to Mrs. 
Polk, was so aggrieved at Mr. Norvell's onslaughts 
upon the husband of her friend, that she would 
sometimes say to her, " I have n't opened my 
brother's paper to-day, for I dislike so much to 
read what he says against your husband." When 
party spirit was heated and ready to burst into flame 
at the slightest touch of antagonism, the Governor 
would say to his wife, " When you hear that so- 
and-so, and you will hear it, is going to vote against 
me, don't you get excited and say, ' I never will 
forgive him.' " He thought that every man had 
a right to his own opinion, and so far from be- 
ing offended with those opposed to him, he was 
always ready, as his wife said, " to give them the 
hand." 

Opposite to Mr. Walker lived Col. Thomas 
Claiborne, whose son, young Tom Claiborne, was 
Mr. Polk's companion during his canvass for the 
governorship, keeping his papers and pamphlets, 
and taking charge of the documents after every 
day's speaking. Another neighbor was Dr. Felix 



RETURN TO COLUMBIA. 67 

Robertson, noted for being the first white male 
child born in Nashville. His father, in the spring 
of 1780, founded in these Indian-haunted wilds the 
little settlement of " Nashborough," and the name 
" Felix," given to the new settler shows that they 
were happy in their adopted home. 

Near the close of Governor Polk's term, in 1841, 
he gave " a party " to the General Assembly of 
Tennessee, which in those days was considered a 
suitable precursor to the termination of his gov- 
ernorship. One of the expected guests was the 
Ex-President living then in his chosen retirement, 
the Hermitage. On account of ill-health, he was 
unable to be present. Mrs. Polk's escort to the 
table on that occasion was the Rev. R. B. C. 
Howell. 

Governor Polk was a candidate for re-election, 
but was defeated by Mr. James C. Jones, and once 
more Mrs. Polk had the pleasing prospect of living 
in Columbia. Gifted with a keen appreciation of 
social life, she nevertheless appreciated as keenly 
the pleasures of a home, though narrower, still 
sweeter and deeper. This endowment of opposite 
qualities made her free from the limitations of cir- 
cumstances, and capable of happiness and useful- 
ness wherever she might be. She said sometimes 
that she would go into her husband's study and 



68 TRIP TO MISSISSIPPI. 

finding him engag-ed as usual, would say, " You 
work so much." Taking up a newspaper, he would 
quietly reply, " Sarah, here is something I wish you 
to read." " And so he set me to work too." In 
giving him sympathy and assistance in many 
wifely ways, she found no time for loneliness. A 
letter often came with the request, " Can't you 
come to Nashville? I want to confer with you." 
In the evening he would ask, " Sarah, would n't 
you like to go to Nashville?" Mrs. Polk laugh- 
ingly said, in telling this, " I cannot find fault now 
with the ladies for going away from home so 
much, because I went so often with Mr. Polk. I 
always went, except in cases when it was obviously 
unsuitable, and then it would have been foolish to 
go,^ He always wished me to go, and he would 
say, ' Why should you stay at home } To take 
care of the house } Why, if the house burns down, 
we can live without it.' ' 

She sometimes went with him to the plantation 
in Mississippi, going in a carriage and taking a 
riding-horse, that he might change to horse- 
back whenever he so desired. They were enter- 
tained in the overseer's house and there received 
the visits of the neighbors. He was very kind to 
the negroes on his plantation and careful of their 
comfort. 



VISIT FROM AN EX-PRESIDENT. 69 

His delicate constitution, weakened by unremit- 
ting labor, required the rest which could be had 
only by adequate sleep. The presence of his wife 
often prevented an indulgence in late hours, to 
which he was exposed by those who came to talk 
with him on law matters or political affairs. To 
help him in this way was one strong motive im- 
pelling her frequent journeying with him. 

In April, 1842, they had the pleasure of a visit 
from Ex-President Martin Van Buren, who was the 
occupant of the White House when they left Wash- 
ington in 1839. He was accompanied by the Hon. 
James K. Paulding of New York, his Secretary of 
the Navy. They had visited Jackson at the Her- 
mitage, and after spending a few days with them, 
went to Lexington, to see Mr. Clay. Old Hickory 
and Young Hickory gave every attention to their 
distinguished guests. 

The calm of this domestic life was again dis- 
turbed by Mr. Polk's canvass for the governor- 
ship in 1843. Letters frequently passed between 
them in the long absences occasioned by these can- 
vasses. Writing from Jackson, West Tennessee, 
April 4, he says, " Yesterday I addressed a very 
large crowd, including the leading men of both 
parties from every part of the State. I spoke for 
three and a half hours. I received your letter to- 



70 CANVASS FOR GOVERNOR. 

day. I will be at Savannah on the 14th, at which 
time I hope to receive another letter from you. 
After that, the points on the main stage-route 
where letters will reach me without delay are 
Somerville, Memphis, and Camden, and I shall 
hope to hear from you at each of those places. 
If any letters come which you think important, 
enclose them to me." 

On the 1 8th of June he was a guest of Dr. 
J. G. M. Ramsey, at Mecklenburg, four miles 
from Knoxville, at the romantic spot where the 
Holston and the French Broad rivers unite. From 
there he wrote, " You write a little despondingly, 
and it distresses me that you seem to be in low 
spirits. If I could be with you, you know I would. 
It is, however, impossible for the next six weeks, 
and I hope you will endeavor to renew your former 
cheerfulness and good spirits." It was his custom 
in every letter to her who was so practically his 
help-meet, to begin with the words, "My dear 
Wife," a short, simple phrase, but rich and weighty 
with meaning. 

Mr. Jones the opposition candidate, was re- 
elected and Mr. Polk returned home. In addi- 
tion to his law practice, he carried on a large 
correspondence with political friends, among whom 
were Silas Wright of New York, and all the Demo- 



CORRESPOiYDENCE. 



71 



cratic leaders of that day. The interchange of 
letters between him and General Jackson was 
frequent. It is said that Jackson was one of 
the most indefatigable letter-writers in the whole 
country. 



WIFE OF THE PRESIDENT. 



CHAPTER VI. 

1844-1845. 

TN May, 1844, came the stirring event of Mr. 
Polk's nomination to the presidency by the 
Democratic National Convention at Baltimore. This 
was followed by a season of conflict and of inevi- 
table suspense and anxiety; but those weeks of 
weary waiting were afterward suffused with the lus- 
tre of a triumphant ending, and whatever sadness 
there might have been was forgotten in the joy 
that followed. In November, by a majority of 
sixty-five electoral votes, and of about forty thou- 
sand in the popular suffrage, Mr. Polk was chosen 
President of the United States. 

In those days all news travelled by mail, then the 
quickest mode of conveyance. Returns had been 
received from a number of States sufficient to show 
that the vote of New York would decide the combat 
between the Whig and Democratic parties, — be- 
tween Mr. Clay and Mr. Polk. It was generally 
believed that New York would vote for Mr. Clay, 



76 NEWS OF THE ELECTION. 

and the Whig papers were constantly declaring that 
he was elected. The news from New York was slow 
in coming in, owing to the magnitude of the terri- 
tory and the closeness of the contest. But, at his 
home in Columbia, Mr. Polk knew of his election 
twenty hours before the people of that town knew 
it, and fifteen hours before it was known by the 
people of Nashville. The welcome information 
was sent to him by Gen. Robert Armstrong, a 
warm friend, who was the postmaster at Nashville. 
The daily Eastern mail arrived about 9 o'clock at 
night, and General Armstrong was in the habit of 
opening the packages from all the principal cities of 
the country, and comparing the number of letters 
with the way-bill. In opening the package from 
Cincinnati he saw, in pencil, written on the way-bill 
by the postmaster there, that New York had cer- 
tainly gone for Polk and Dallas. The Nashville 
postmaster quietly placed the writing in his pocket, 
handed the letters to one of his clerks for distribu- 
tion, and retired to his private room. He imme- 
diately sent a servant to Mr. George L. Sloan, pro- 
prietor of a large livery establishment, a devoted 
Democrat, and an active partisan. He was asked if 
he could reach Columbia, with an important letter 
for Governor Polk, by daylight next morning. He 
said he could, and while he went to his stable for a 



NEJVS OF THE E LECTIO A\ 



77 



fast horse, General Armstrong wrote a brief letter 
to Mr. Polk, telling him of the news from the post- 
master at Cincinnati. Mr. Sloan rode rapidly, and 
obtaining a fresh horse from a friend a few miles 
beyond Franklin, reached Columbia, a distance of 
forty miles, by early dawn. Mr. Polk was called 
from his bed-chamber, and Mr. Sloan delivered the 
letter in person, not knowing its contents. He then 
quietly left the town, and leisurely came home, 
taking his own horse on the way. 

Mr. Polk was very much gratified, of course, and 
told his wife the exciting news. They agreed to 
keep it quiet, and went about their daily duties as 
usual. During the day political opponents, calling 
at his office, or meeting him on the street, would 
say, " Well, Governor, we are sorry that you are 
defeated, but glad Mr. Clay is elected." Mr. Polk 
thanked these personal friends for their good wishes, 
knowing however that they were mistaken. The 
mail next morning announced that the large elec- 
toral vote of New York had been cast for Mr. Polk, 
and that he was elected. 

A public meeting of the Democrats of Columbia 
and of Maury County was soon called, and the joy 
of the Democrats knew no bounds. Crowds came 
pouring into town, the houses were illuminated, and 
Mr, Polk's house was besieged by a multitude who 



78 A'EIVS OF THE ELECTION: 

came with a band of music, and with noisy hurrahs 
and other manifestations of pleasure usual on such 
occasions. 

Mrs. Polk was in the parlor with congratulating 
lady visitors, when a gentleman entered, saying, 
" Mrs. Polk, some of your husband's friends wish to 
come into the house, but we will not let the crowd 
in, because the street is muddy and your carpets 
and furniture will be spoiled." 

" The house is thrown open to everybody," was 
the reply. " Let them all come in ; they will not 
hurt the carpets." 

This decision was exactly in accord with Mr. 
Polk's wishes and preferences, if not in great part 
unconsciously impelled by them ; and coming in 
that moment, he heartily seconded the enthusiastic 
invitation. The next day, the hospitable lady sent 
word to the gentleman who was so politely careful 
regarding the soiling of her furniture that, just as 
she expected, the crowd " left no marks except 
marks of respect." 

The Whigs were in deep sorrow, and Mr. Clay's 
defeat was greatly deplored by his large and influ- 
ential party. He was their idol, and probably no 
politician ever had warmer friends or more bitter 
enemies. General Jackson alone excepted. Large 
sums of money had been wagered, and changed 



PASSAGE AT AH MS. 



79 



hands, on the result. In Tennessee, owing to the pres- 
ence of General Jackson, the struggle was especially 
violent. Every effort possible was put forth on both 
sides to obtain even a single vote, and bets were 
freely made that Tennessee would go for Mr. Clay. 
The race was close, and Mr. Polk lost Tennessee by 
only one hundred and thirteen votes in the entire 
State. 

Mr. Polk visited Nashville, and was honored with 
a public reception in which both parties joined. A 
civic and military procession escorted him to the 
Court House, where he was addressed by the Hon. 
A. O. P. Nicholson, In the evening many buildings 
were illuminated, and joy and hilarity prevailed. 

One day, at Colum.bia, in these agitating times, a 
lady remarked to a friend of Mrs. Polk's that she 
hoped Mr. Clay would be elected to the presidency, 
because his wife was a good housekeeper, and made 
fine butter. To this singular remark, which seemed 
to cast a reflection upon the wife of Mr. Clay's 
opponent, a rather spirited retort was made, and a 
wordy little passage at arms followed, which was 
duly reported to the lady supposed to be most 
interested as the rival of Mrs. Clay. She was 
amused at the incident, and said to her friend, 
" Now, Ophelia, you go to-morrow morning and tell 
Mrs. Blank that you are sorry for all those sharp 



So FAREWELL TO JACKSON. 

replies you made, and tell her I said that if I should 
be so fortunate as to reach the White House, I 
expect to live on twenty-five thousand dollars 
a year, and I will neither keep house nor make 
butter. This answer will not offend her, and neither 
will I be offended." This pacific message had the 
desired effect. There has perhaps been no other in- 
stance in which a capacity to make good butter was 
considered a fitting excellence for the President's 
wife. 

In February, 1845, the journey to Washington 
was begun, Mr. and Mrs. Polk first going to the 
Hermitage, near Nashville, to see General Jackson. 
Mr. Jenkins says, " The leave-taking was affec- 
tionate and impressive, for each felt conscious that 
in all probability it was a farewell forever. Ere 
another harvest moon shed its holy light upon a 
spot hallowed by so many memories and associa- 
tions, the ' hero of New Orleans ' and ' defender 
of the Constitution ' slept that sleep which knows 
no waking. A few years passed, and he to whom 
that parting blessing had been given with so fair 
and bright a promise of a long life before him, had 
also joined the assembly of the dead. Truly, the 
realities of history are sometimes stranger far than 
the wildest creations of fiction." 

Among those who accompanied Mr. and Mrs. 



' u- Ji \yiv. 



Polk was Mr. V. K. Stevenson. They went from 
Nashville to Wheeling on a small new steamer built 
of cedar, called by the river men the " cedar boat." 
In going up the Ohio, some distance below Louis- 
ville, in a terrific storm, the boat was blown ashore 
and among the trees. Colonel Stevenson says that 
amid the general dismay Mr. and Mrs. Polk did 
not seem in the least alarmed. When they passed 
Louisville it was late at night, yet many people 
were at the wharf, sending up cheer after cheer. 

On Sunday a band of music came on board, in- 
tending to honor the President's party by playing 
during the day. When Mrs. Polk first heard the 
music, impelled by her sense of right and propriety, 
she requested Mr. Stevenson to have it stopped, 
because it was unseemly on that day. He said, 
" Madame, it can be done." When the matter 
reached Mr. Polk's ears he quietly remarked, 
" Sarah directs all domestic aff"airs, and she thinks 
that is domestic." 

At Madison, Indiana, a large party came aboard 
and warmly welcomed the passenger toward whom 
all eyes were turning in hope and anxious expecta- 
tion. Mr. Stevenson presented many persons sep- 
arately, and toward the close of the ceremony he 
introduced a noted, old-time Irish school-teacher, 
who, standing in front of Mr. Polk, bowed low and 



82 JOURNEY TO WASIIIXCTON. 

said, " Yure koontenance is indicative of a bro-a-d 
ba— sis," spinning out the latter words to their 
fullest extent. Then going behind him and bow- 
ing again, he repeated the same words. Passing 
to the front, he again went through the whimsical 
solemnity, and left the boat perfectly satisfied that 
he had made known the true character of the new 
chief executive. 

At Cincinnati, as at all other landings, crowds 
were on the shore, and in every case, Mr. Steven- 
son presented Mr. Polk, who made a brief reply 
of thanks. During their stay of a day or two in 
Wheeling, there were throngs of callers, among 
whom were representatives of all classes, and one 
lady felt herself obliged to apologize because so 
many of the " common people " were there. That 
act of " politeness " only showed that she had failed 
to understand the character of this woman, whose 
exaltation, so far from raising a barrier between her 
and the masses of the people, had enabled her the 
better to discover the good in them, and to appre- 
ciate their kindness. Mrs. Polk in the retrospect 
of her life, called herself a " proud woman," and 
such she was, in the highest sense, — proud of her 
husband, of his worth and his success ; proud of 
the position and happiness with which she had been 
endowed; and too proud to hold herself aloof from 



JOURNEY TO WASHINGTON. 83 

the humblest person. She had no fear of any pos- 
sible tarnish by such association, and was affable 
and gracious to all. 

From Wheeling to Cumberland, they travelled by 
carriage over the National Road. This highway 
was built from Wheeling to Baltimore, for the pur- 
pose of transporting government troops and stores 
over the mountains. The most important consider- 
ation, however, was the inducement it would offer 
emigrants to settle the western lands, and thus bring 
these lands into market for sale. For years this 
project provoked fierce discussions in Congress, Mr. 
Polk being opposed to it, while Mr. Clay advocated 
the measure. Once an object of great public in- 
terest, and a means of comparative ease in travel, 
the National Road is now scarcely more than a 
memory, and flourishes only in the encyclopaedia. 

At Cumberland, they took the railroad train, and 
at the Relay House, near Baltimore, were met by 
committees from Washington, Baltimore, and other 
places. Here they were also joined by the Vice- 
President-elect, the Hon. George M. Dallas. Mrs. 
Polk said that " he was an elegant man, tall, ex- 
ceedingly handsome, and gentle in manner." Here 
a scene occurred, quite out of keeping with the 
dignity of the occasion, and illustrating the hetero- 
geneous mixture of affairs, the continual nearness 



84 THE CABINET. 

of right and wrong, of high and low. A pickpocket 
in the crowd had doubtless heard that Mr. Stevenson 
paid all the expenses of the trip for Mr. Polk, and 
he accordingly undertook to get into his pocket, 
lie had discovered that there were no outside 
pockets, and was in the act of reaching over and 
trying to get his hand into the inside breast pocket, 
when Mr. Stevenson caught it, and by twisting his 
arm forced him to come round in front. The fel- 
low was an affrighted, woe-begone spectacle, and 
when it was learned that he had failed in his lawless 
purpose, was released. 

They reached Washington about two weeks be- 
fore the 4th of March, and in this interim Mr. 
Polk accomplished the delicate task of selecting 
, the officers of his Cabinet. The usages of society 
had established relations of close intercourse be- 
tween the household of the President and those 
of the Cabinet officers, and his selection of these 
exerted an influence on his home life as well as 
on public affairs. To the office of Secretary of 
State he appointed James Buchanan, of Penn- 
sylvania, whose long service in the Senate ad- 
mirably fitted him for that high position. The 
Treasury Department was committed to the care 
of Robert J. Walker, of Mississippi. The War 
Department was placed under the charge of ex- 



THE INAUGURATION, 85 

Governor William L. Marcy, of New York, and 
the success of his conduct in the struggle with 
Mexico proved the wisdom of Mr. Polk's choice. 
George Bancroft, of Massachusetts, was made Secre- 
tary of the Navy; but after a short time he was sent 
to the Court of St. James, and John Y. Mason, 
of Virginia, appointed in his stead. The office of 
Postmaster-General was given to Cave Johnson, 
of Tennessee, and during his occupancy of that 
position the reduction of the rates of postage was 
begun. John Y. Mason had been appointed Attor- 
ney-General, but upon his becoming Secretary of the 
Navy, Nathan Clifford, of Maine, was selected in 
his place. Mr. Clifford was afterward sent as a 
commissioner to Mexico, and Isaac Toucey, of Con- 
necticut, became Attorney-General. For the confi- 
dential post of Private Secretary, the President 
chose one of his nephews, J. Knox Walker. 

The 4th of March was rainy and cheerless, but 
the ceremonies of the day filled the streets with 
gayly dressed people. According to custom, the 
President-elect was accompanied by the retiring 
President, and they rode to the capitol in an open 
carriage drawn by four horses, and escorted by 
the chief marshal and his aids, who carried as 
emblems of the new head of the republic, batons 
of young hickory, decked with a profusion of 



86 A NATIONAL FAN. 

ribbons. The President-elect and his escort were 
received in the Senate Chamber by the assembled 
Congress. Mrs. Polk, with several of her special 
friends, witnessed the proceedings from the gallery. 
When the oath of office had been taken by Mr. 
Dallas, and some other formalities had been com- 
pleted, Mr. Polk was escorted to the eastern 
portico by the members of Congress, the foreign 
legations, and other distinguished persons. This 
procession was led, as was customary, by the 
judges of the Supreme Court, attired in their 
robes of office, seeming thus to give judicial sanc- 
tion to the choice of the people. The vicinity 
of the capitol was crowded with enthusiastic spec- 
tators. Mrs. Polk with her friends was seated on 
the portico. She held in her hand what may be 
called a national fan, which had been presented 
to her. In the folds, above an ivory handle of 
beautiful open-work, were eleven circles enclosing 
the portraits of the eleven Presidents, from Wash- 
ington to Polk, each inscribed with the name and 
the date of the term of office. Above Mr. Polk's 
was written, " President-elect." In the flower- 
gilded spaces between these circles were the United 
States escutcheon, and statues of the Goddess of 
Liberty. On the reverse was an oval picture of 
the signing of the Declaration of Independence. 



Chief-Justice Taney administered the oath of 
office. The multitude listened quietly during the 
delivery of the Inaugural Address, then with shouts 
and cheers applauding the new-made President, 
joined the procession, and attended him in a vast 
body to the door of the White House. 

The Bible upon which the oath was taken is a 
small one, printed in clear, minion type, bound in 
black morocco, and was presented to Mrs. Polk by 
Alexander Hunter, chief marshal of the District 
of Columbia. On the fly-leaves he wrote the 
following letter: — 

" Madame, — I feel it alike an honor, a pleas- 
ure, and a duty, to present you (as I now do) 
the sacred volume on which the oath of office as 
President of these United States was administered 
to your honored husband on the 4th day of 
March just passed. I will not permit myself to 
doubt that it will be esteemed and preserved by 
you as a sacred and not unbefitting memorial of 
an event of interest to your family. It is calcu- 
lated to unite in solemn associations the recollec- 
tion of the highest honor on this earth, with the 
bright hopes and glorious promises of another 
and happier sphere of existence. United with 
your distinguished husband in the enjoyment of 
the utmost favor of his countrymen, and the 



38 INAUGURATION BALL. 

highest station which their votes and their con- 
fidence can bestow, when time shall have passed, 
and the troubles and the honors of this life shall 
have known their termination, may your union 
still continue undisturbed, and be blessed with 
that happiness which the Holy Book teaches, as 
the hope and the promise." 

A group of select friends dined with the President 
and his wife at the White House, and this eventful 
day was closed with the customary Inauguration 
Ball. This took place in Carusi's Hall, and was in- 
tended as an opportunity for the people to get a 
near view of the new chief magistrate. To prevent 
too great a crowd, the tickets were sold at ten dollars 
each. When the President and his party entered 
and took their places on a platform at the end of 
the hall, the dancing ceased, and the band played 
" Hail to the Chief," and there was a general recep- 
tiort. Mrs. Polk remembered that she wore a ma- 
zarine blue velvet dress, with a deeply fringed cape. 
When the ceremony of introduction and handshak- 
ing was over, Mr. and Mrs. Polk with their friends 
left the hall. 

The -new mistress of the White House showed 
her simplicity and moderation in her decision con- 
cerning the renovation customary with each new 
resident in the old mansion. The " New York 



REFUSING PRESENTS. 



89 



Journal of Commerce " commended her sensible 
views as follows : — 

" A couple of upholsterers who went from this city to pro- 
cure so much of the job as falls within their department, 
came back with very reduced expectations. They were 
referred to the President's lady, who gave them a cour- 
teous interview of three quarters of an hour, but told them 
that only the public rooms would require repairs, for if the 
private apartments had been satisfactory to Mrs. Tyler, they 
would be so to herself" 

One day, soon after the beginning of the adminis- 
tration, some one sent a fine riding-horse to the 
White House stable. When the President heard of 
the gift, he told his secretary to have the horse sent 
to the livery-stable and to inform the owner where 
it was. He would accept presents of little worth, 
such as books, canes, etc , but m.ust decline any of 
larger value. This wise course effectually closed 
an opening to irregularities and corruption. Not 
long afterward, the citizens of New York wished to 
present to him a carriage and horses, but he de- 
clined the proffered kindness. These two instances 
convinced the public of his determination, and no 
one afterward ventured to offer a costly gift, for fear 
of giving offence. Sometimes a naval officer would 
say to Mrs. Polk that in a foreign country he had 
seen some rare or rich article which he wished very 



9° hoa: joh.v c. calhouw. 

much to bring home to h.r, but had feared to do 
-so. In later life she said that she did not then 
realize as fully as afterward, the worth of such a 
ng,d and self-denying uprightness, and would smil- 
ingly say to her husband, •' Oh, I have lost so many 
pretty things by your refusing to take costlv pres- 
ents ! ■ He would never consent to accep't such 
favors for his wife any more than for himself 

Mr. Polk had been privately informed that the 
Hon. John C. Calhoun, the Secretary of State in 
Mr Tylers Cabinet, was desirous of remaining in 
that office until the annexation of Texas was con 
summated, a measure which he ardently advocated. 
Mr Polk was also solicitous concerning it, and Mr. 

'^aihoun naturally exoecterl m .^r^ ■ t> 

/ t-.xpcLceci to remain. But the 

ZT P ?t' ''°"""" "" ''""-' "-- -'-«-". 

land T,'^"'"'"'™'"^™-- '° Eng- 
land. Th.s post was declined, and preparations 

were made for his return to South CarolL. He 
had for years cherished a cordial friendship for Mrs 
Polk, and calling to bid her farewell, she expressed 
her regret that he had decided not to accept 

""ss.on. "Madame," replied the H' ,• , 

So„fl, r ,■ ■ rtpned the distmguished 

South Carohn.an, "you know me well enough to be 
aware that I am a domestic man in my nature and 

•a. .s, and that such a Place would It .sui::; 
taste. She admired his o-r^.f ,. 

^iis great powers, and his 



GOING TO CHURCH. 9 1 

honest adherence to the pohtical principles he be- 
heved to be right, whatever might be the convic- 
tions of others. He was a worthy descendant of 
the resolute Huguenots, many of whom in their ex- 
patriation fled to South Carolina, and enriched that 
State by their noble character and valuable labors. ■ 

The ladies of the diplomatic circle added much 
to the vivacity and enjoyment of social affairs. 
The wife of the Russian Minister possessed unusual 
attractions. Mrs. Polk had known Madame Eodisco 
when she was Miss Williams, and a pupil at the 
Georgetown school. It is said that the dignified 
ambassador then met the young school-girl who 
subsequently became his bride. 

Of those connected with the families of the sec- 
retaries, perhaps it was to Mrs. Marcy that the 
President's wife was most strongly attached. They 
often went to church together, Mrs. Marcy attend- 
ing the Presbyterian, with her friend, and Mrs. Polk 
returning the favor by going with Mrs. Marcy to 
the Baptist Church. During the fourteen years of 
her residence in Washington, while her husband was 
in Congress, Mrs. Polk was a regular attendant of 
the First Presbyterian Church on Four-and-a-half 
Street, not far from the capitol. When she returned, 
it was supposed that she would worship with the 
Rev. Mr. Lowrie's church, not far from the White 



92 DANCING DISCONTINUED. 

House. But she continued to frequent the old sanc- 
tuary, though it was a mile away. " I loved the fami- 
liar place," she said; "and why should I not go' 
there, when it was my intention to ride, and a mile 
more would make no difference?" 

The dazzling and deceptive allurements insepar- 
able from high position had no power to blind her 
to the truth. She regularly attended church, duly 
observed the Sabbath, and maintained Christian 
charities. " The greater the prosperity," she said, 
" the deeper the sense of gratitude to the Almighty 
Power from whom all blessings flow. My heart 
never yielded to worldly honors or seir vanlly " In 
her new home, one effect of her principles was the 
discontinuance of dancing. This stroke of author- 
ity made a sensation, and with a few exceptions 
was universally applauded. Some young ladies re- 
monstrated : " Oh, Mrs. Polk, why will you not 
let us dance? These rooms are so magnificent." 
" Would you dance in so public a place as this?" 
she would ask; and when they said yes her reply 
was, " I would not. To dance in these rooms 
would be undignified, and it would be respectful 
neither to the house nor to the ofiice. How in- 
decorous it would seem for dancino- to be eoinsf 
on in one apartment, while in another we were 
conversing with dignitaries of the republic or 



MKS. MAD/SOA'-. g, 

ministers of the gospel. This unseemly juxtaposi- 
tion would be likely to occur at any time, were 
such amusements permitted." 

The "Nashville Union" thus applauded her 
decision : — 

" The example of Mrs. Polk can hardly fail of exerting 
a salutary influence. Especially does it rebuke the con- 
duct of those ladies who professing godliness, nevertheless 
dishonor its profession by their eager participation in the 
follies and amusements of the world. However politicians 
may differ in regard to the merit of Mr. Polk's administration, 
there can be no diflerence as respects that of his lady, in 
her department of the Presidential mansion." 

Mrs. Polk saw Mrs. Madison frequently, and en- 
joyed taking her for a drive on pleasant summer 
afternoons. It was the custom to invite her to 
every Cabinet dinner, and to all entertainments 
given at the White House, the President himself 
escorting her to the table. She was always attired 
in black silk or velvet, with a kerchief of muslin 
and lace around her neck and shoulders, folded 
across the bosom. In after years Mrs. Polk 
wrote, '• The White House was the abode of 
pleasure while I was there." At the weekly re- 
ceptions, she pleased every caller with her words 
of welcome. At the large dinners, complimentary 
to distinguished persons, members of the Cabinet, 



94 MARKING NEWSPAPERS. 

civil, military, and naval officers, eminent citizens, 
diplomatists, and noted foreigners, the dignity and 
courtesy of the hostess impressed every one, and 
her praises were trumpeted by the newspapers. 

The President's duties left him little time for 
even a cursory scanning of the numerous news- 
papers. There were frequent allusions to his ad- 
ministration, and it was necessary for him to know 
the drift of public feeling and opinion. He would 
send the papers to his wife, requesting her to 
examine them and mark such articles as it was 
desirable for him to read. This task, requiring 
judgment and knowledge of public affairs, she 
gladly performed. Carefully folding the papers 
with the marked pieces outside, where a glance 
might detect them, she would place the pile be- 
side his chair, so that whenever a few moments of 
leisure came, he could find and read without loss 
of time. Knowing much of political affairs she 
found pleasure in the society of gentlemen ; and 
some one remarked that " she was always in the 
parlor with Mr. Polk." 

In a letter to her from Judge Catron, dated at 
Nashville, June, 1845, he says: — 

*' We had the pleasure to hear by Mrs. Marshall's 
letter that you were very well, and the President 
not— overworked, of course. On this head I am 



LETTER FROM JUDGE CATROAT. 95. 

uneasy, and advise lectures on your part, on all in- 
ordinate and especially irregular labors. The ma- 
chinery of government looks well at a distance, 
smooth, still, and statesmanlike. I think the Presi- 
dent has deeply impressed upon him the early copy 
set him in the old field school: ' Least said is soon- 
est mended.' It is worth more in practice than all 
ever written in Italy and France on slippery policy. 
All sides seem to vie in vaunting you, and if this 
keeps on through the four years, will stilt you up 
to so giddy a height that you may incur more 
danger in getting down than in climbing up." 

The following paper, written by Mr. Polk on his 
fiftieth birthday, Sunday, November 2, 1845, was 
found among his manuscripts, long afterward: 

"Attended the Methodist Church (called the 
Foundery Church) to-day, in company with my 
private secretary, J. Knox Walker. It was an in- 
clement day, there being rain from an early hour 
in the morning, and Mrs. Polk and the ladies of 
my household did not attend church to-day. Mrs. 
Polk being a member of the Presbyterian Church, 
I generally attend that church with her, though 
my opinions and predilections are in favor of the 
Methodist Church. This was my birthday, being 
fifty years old. The text was from the Acts of 
the Apostles, chap. 17, verse 31: 'Because He 



^6 MRS. FOLK'S BIRTHDAY. 

hath appointed a day, in the which He will judge the 
world in righteousness by that man whom He hath 
ordained.' It was communion day, and the sermon 
was solemn and forcible. It awakened the reflec- 
tion that I had lived fifty years, and that before fifty 
years more would expire I would be sleeping with 
the generations which have gone before me. I 
thought of the vanity of this world's honors, how- 
little they would profit me half a century hence, 
and that it was time for me to be ' putting my 
house in order.' " 

A New York newspaper of the time says of him : 

" He would have a pew in church and regularly occupy 
it. No visitor would be admitted into his house on the 
Sabbath except family acquaintances. If a week's journey 
was to be undertaken he would start on Monday morning 
and reach the place on Saturday night. And all this 
though not a professor of religion. Mr. Polk had a deli- 
cacy and propriety of feeling, which showed how well and 
kindly he had yielded his heart and his habits to a most 
auspicious domestic influence ; how fully he acknowledged 
the legitimate influence of a pious wife, to whom he was 
bound by ties of the strongest affection, and who indeed 
was, in many senses, his guardian angel amid the perils and 
darkness of the way." 



LIFE AT THE WHITE HOUSE. 



CHAPTER VII. 

1 846- 1 849. 

/^NE afternoon in July, when the beams of the 
^-^ sun were flaming with scorching heat, Mrs. 
Polk was sitting at a window overlooking a part of 
the White House grounds where several men were 
at work. Her husband was absorbed in writing, 
and there was no one else present. 

" Mr. Polk," she suddenly said, " the writers of 
the Declaration of Independence were mistaken 
when they affirmed that all men are created 
equal." 

" Oh, Sarah," said he, " that is one of your 
foolish fancies." 

" But, Mr. Polk," she returned, " let me illustrate 
what I mean. There are those men toiling in the 
heat of the sun, while you are writing, and I am 
sitting here fanning myself, in this house as airy 
and delightful as a palace, surrounded with every 
comfort. Those men did not choose such a lot in 
life, neither did we ask for ours; we were created 
for these places." 



100 LIFE AT THE WHITE HOUSE. 

Mr. Polk was amused at her criticism on the 
venerable and honored document, and rehearsed 
the incident as an example of " Sarah's acumen." 
Circumstances certainly seem sometimes to dis- 
prove the grand truth that all men are created 
with equal rights to life, liberty, and the pursuit 
of happiness ; but she believed, as we all do, that 
it is nevertheless the powerful principle underly- 
ing the beneficent liberty and marvellous growth of 
our country. It is the wonder-working Aladdin's 
lamp of the Occident, holding forth the radiant 
light of a new era, and its mighty genius is build- 
ing homes of peace and content for the poor and 
oppressed of every land. 

The following extract is from a letter of Judge 
Lewis of Lancaster, Pennsylvania, who was Mrs. 
Polk's agent in the following incid.ent: — 

"On the 4th of July, 1846, the President's man- 
sion was thrown open for the reception of visitors, 
and the rooms gradually filled with guests ' of high 
and low degree,' Amid the motley groups present, 
the President's lady was receiving with becoming 
courtesy the guests who advanced to pay their 
respects, when she perceived an old man, sup- 
ported by a long cane, and dressed in humble 
garb, totter into the room, and in a dif^dent man- 
ner take a station at a distance and gaze with 



LIFE AT THE WHITE HOUSE. loi 

unmingled wonder upon the scene before him. 
Mrs. Polk despatched a gentleman with whom 
she was then conversing, to bring the old man 
to her, and talked with him for some time with 
the kindly sympathy for old age which is a beau- 
tiful feature of woman's character. He said that 
he was one hundred and five years old, had dined 
with Washington, and his memory reached thirty 
years beyond the stirring events of the American 
Revolution. His reminiscences of bygone times 
were received with attention by his auditress, and 
when other guests claimed her ear, she followed 
the old man with her eye, and directed that the 
venerable visitor should be treated with special 
respect. This incident, while it evin'ces that Mrs, 
Polk's heart was where it always is, in the right 
place, speaks volumes in favor of our republican 
institutions. The poor man enters the Palace of 
the People, stands in the presence of assembled 
senators and ambassadors, converses with the lofti- 
est lady in the republic, and receives every attention 
and respect." 

In those times, there were few of the flowers and 
vines whose natural grace now adorns the grounds 
of the White House. Some years later, funds were 
voted by Congress for the establishment and main- 
tenance of a greenhouse there. A conservatory 



102 LIFE AT THE WITITE HOUSE. 

was attached to the Patent Office, but the pubHc 
did not have the privilege of plucking the flowers. 
Whenever the President's wife came, the gardener 
cut a profusion of blossoms, and arranging them 
into a handsome bouquet, presented it to her. 
Occasionally, visitors who observed this would ask 
a similar favor, to which his reply would be that 
he was not allowed to give the flowers away. 
When it was rejoined, " You gave some to that 
lady," he would disclose that lady's name. Some 
of them would be satisfied, but others were of- 
fended. " I did not desire this distinction to be 
made between others and myself," she said, " and 
I requested the gardener not to cut any more 
flowers for me. His reply was, ' Madame, if you 
will receive them, I will still give you flowers.' 
But I did not wish for the attention. I always 
had so much that I could not wish for more." 

A letter from Washington in November, 1846, 
says : — 

" At no period in our history have we seen the 
hospitalities of the White House more handsomely 
dispensed, or displayed with greater republican 
simplicity. There is no extra formality exhibited 
when a Secretary or some other high officer of 
government presents himself. ^The quiet, unher- 
alded citizen receives a polite and cordial saluta- 



LIFE AT THE WHITE HOUSE. 103 

tion, as well as the rich man or the Minister of 
State. I was struck with Mrs. Polk's patriotic 
sentiments. A gallant lieutenant, just from the 
bloody but glorious conflict at Monterey was there 
also ; and as she carried back his thoughts to the 
distant field of his fame, he caught the inspiration, 
and dwelt briefly upon some of the thrilling inci- 
dents of those scenes. In the course of this ani- 
mated conversation, the young officer remarked that 
something — I do not now recollect what — was 
rather too democratic; to which Mrs. Polk replied 
that whatever sustained the honor and advanced 
the interests of the country, whether regarded as 
democratic or not, she admired and applauded." 

On Christmas Day Mr. Polk's thoughts were with 
his old home in Columbia, and with the central 
figure of that home, his mother, to whom he wrote 
as follows : — 

"Dear Mother:— It has been many months 
since I have written to you, but you have been 
constantly in my affectionate remembrance. My 
whole time has been occupied in the performance 
of my public duties. This is Christmas Day, and 
is one of the most quiet days I have spent since I 
have been President. Congress does not sit, the 
public offices are all closed, and the population 



I04 LIFE AT THE WHITE HOUSE. 

generally attend church. My official term has 
nearly half expired. My public responsibilities 
and cares are very great, and I shall rejoice when 
the period shall arrive when I can bid adieu to pub- 
lic life forever. I shall return to Tennessee at the 
close of my term, and spend the remainder of my 
life in quiet retirement." 

In the summer of 1847 the President, with several 
state officers and a few personal friends, made a tour 
in the northern and eastern States. A Buffalo news- 
paper had a long article about the reception in that 
city, and said, among many other good things: — 

" We are not in the least addicted to man-worship ; we 
look upon the man with no more regard because he holds 
an office, for this is only an evidence of his worth in the 
estimation of his fellow-citizens. But we do give honor to 
the faithful discharge of public trusts, that others may be 
led to emulate the example. The administration of Presi- 
dent Polk has been one of great events, and will form an 
era in our history. There has been a combination of those 
events which has scarcely occurred since the organization 
of the government." 

The reception in New York was a grand one. 
The people were out in vast numbers. One of the 
newspapers of the day, said : — 

" We confess that we admire the man. not less for the 
stern integrity and purity of his private life, the noble and 



LIFE AT THE WHITE HOUSE. 105 

Sterling qualities of his personal character, than for the 
honorable and commanding station which he holds as the 
reward of his political integrity, his private virtues, and his 
personal worth." 

Mrs. Polk went as far as Baltimore, where she 
left the presidential party and travelled west under 
the care of Mr. Sumner, a young Tennessean, a 
clerk in one of the departments, whose vacation 
occurred just at that time. Some members of the 
party begged her to change her purpose. " Do you 
want the trouble of having me all through the trip," 
she asked, " when a separate committee and a sep- 
arate suite of apartments for my use are always 
necessary?" " I could not go with Mr. Polk at the 
receptions," she said to us in relating these experi- 
ences, " for he was always with the officials, and I 
could not stand with him to shake hands with the 
multitude who crowded to see him, the populace, 
the working-men, the high and low whom he must 
receive. In these days opinions and manners are 
quite different. The ladies go with the gentlemen 
into all places and all assemblies. In those days it 
was not thought suitable or dignified for them to be 
thus prominent and conspicuous." 

While visiting her mother, she received the 
following letter, dated July 4, 1847, Portland, 
Maine : — 



I06 LIFE AT THE WHITE HOUSE. 

My dear Wife : — After I wrote to you at 
Lowell on the morning of the 2d inst., I proceeded 
to this place, where I was handsomely received, and 
proceeded the same evening to Augusta (the seat 
of government of the State), and arriving about 
one o'clock on the 3d, found the capitol and the 
whole city brilliantly illuminated. On the 3d (yes- 
terday) I had perhaps as gratifying a reception as 
I have received on my tour. I was received by 
both branches of the legislature, in the hall of the 
House of Representatives, and was addressed by the 
Governor ; to which I of course responded, as I think 
in one of my happiest efforts. Afterwards I was 
introduced to as many of the immense crowd, and 
especially of the ladies, as could have access to me. 
Senator Evans met me at Augusta and behaved 
very handsomely. At five o'clock I visited his 
family in the town in which he lives (five miles 
from Augusta), and afterwards, on a platform 
erected on the wharf, just before going on board 
the steamboat to return to this city, Mr. Evans ad- 
dressed me in the presence of some two thousand 
persons, male and female, in a very handsome man- 
ner and in a very kind spirit, to which of course I 
responded; and my friends say I made the best 
speech of the tour. I can give you no more de- 
tails, but content myself by saying that my whole 



LIFE AT THE WHITE HOUSE. 



107 



visit has been of the most gratifying character. The 
receptions given me by the legislatures and execu- 
tives of New Hampshire and Maine, in tbpii official 
character as such, were highly honorabJe to me, 
and were all that my friends could hav- desired. 
Nothing of a party or of an unpleasant chp.i'acter has 
occurred anywhere. I reached here about midnight, 
last night, and have spent a very quiet day, having 
been twice to church. Mr. Buchanan, Mr. Clif- 
ford, Judge Woodbury, Governor Hubbard, General 
Anderson, Governor Dana, and Governor Fairfield, 
of Maine, Governor Monten, of Louisiana, Commo- 
dore Stuart, besides many members of Congress 
with whom I have served, have been with me for 
several days. In a word, I am highly delighted 
with my visit. On to-morrow. I proceed on my 
return, dining at Portsmouth (Judge Woodbury's 
residence) ; expect to reach Boston at five o'clock, 
P. M., and proceed immediately to New York, where 
I will arrive the next morning, and expect to arrive 
at Washington on Wednesday morning. My health 
has been good, but my fatigue has been so great 
that I have been at some times almost worn down, 
and hence some of the newspapers have represented 
me to be in bad health. 

Mr Burke tells me he has written to you to-day, 
and I send you several newspapers, which will fur- 



I08 LIFE AT THE WHITE HOUSE. 

\ nish you with many incidents connected with my 
to:."" which I have not time or opportunity to write. 
1 have ^r^.eived no letter from you, except the one 
you wrotJs at WheeHng. I hope you reached the 
end of yc^ir journey safely, and I calculate that you 
are to-n.^ht with your mother and sister at Mur- 
freesborou4*ii- 

Your affectionate husband, 

James K. Polk. 

On the last page, Mr. Buchanan adds a postscript: 

" P. S. — I cannot omit this opportunity of pre- 
senting you my kindest regards. There was nothing 
wanting to make our party everything it ought to 
have been but your presence. We have got along 
as well as could have been expected in your absence. 
The President has everywhere been received with 
enthusiasm, and has played Republican in grand 
style. He has made a decided impression on New 
England. One of the prettiest exhibitions on both 
sides I have ever witnessed came off last even- 
ing between him and Mr. Evans, of Maine. The 
speeches of both were excellent; but I think the 
President's impromptu reply surpassed the studied 
effort of the ex-Senator, who has behaved himself 
extremely well throughout." 



LIFE AT THE WHITE HOUSE. 



109 



A glimpse of familiar scenes, and a re-union with 
dear friends, was the pleasure of Mrs. Polk's visit to 
Tennessee; but the trip was mainly taken on ac- 
count of some items of business. Determining to 
fix his residence in Nashville at the close of his ad- 
ministration, Mr. Polk had purchased the home of 
the late Judge Felix Grundy, in whose office he had 
studied law in his youth. Judge Grundy was, in 
his day, the most celebrated criminal lawyer in the 
South, and he had attained high honors also in the 
Senate of the United States. This purchase was 
effected by the sale of Mr. Polk's patrimonial estate 
in Columbia and Maury County, and was not much 
more than an exchange of residences. The new 
home was receiving additions and alterations, under 
the supervision of Mr. V. K. Stevenson, Mr. John 
B. Johnson, and other of Mr. Polk's friends, and his 
wife came to suggest whatever changes she might 
desire. In October a powder magazine west of 
Capitol Hill was struck by lightning and a terrific 
explosion appalled the city. The north and west 
walls of the Polk mansion were so shaken that it 
was necessary to rebuild them. On her return to 
Washington Mrs. Polk chose the interior fittings of 
the house. Knowing the exact dimensions of floors, 
walls, and windows, she wc*- jumetimes to Stewart's 
establishment in Ne\« Vork City to make purchases, 



no LIFE AT THE WHITE HOUSE. 

and sometimes rolls of material were brought to the 
White House for her inspection. In this way, while 
gratifying her own taste, she prevented the unwise 
outlay of many hundreds of dollars, likely to be 
thoughtlessly expended by incautious ordering. 

Some time after her return to the capital Mrs, 
Polk had the unusual experience of a severe sick- 
ness. A correspondent of the " Baltimore Sun " 
writes from Washington : — 

" We have a peculiar sorrow in the dangerous illness of 
the honored lady of President Polk. All admire her char- 
acter, all revere her virtues, and all with one consent join 
in supplicating the Father of mercies to spare her long, 
very long, to her husband and the friends to whom she is 
so dear." 

Mrs. Maury, in her volume, " An Englishwoman 
in America," says: — 

" One morning I found Mrs. Polk reading. ' I have 
many books presented to me by the writers,' said she, 'and 
I try to read them all ; at present that is impossible, but 
this evening the author of this book dines with the Presi- 
dent, and I could not be so unkind as to appear wholly 
ignorant and unmindful of his gift." 

Select parties were frequently invited to dine at 
the White House. On one occasion, there were 
twenty-five or thirty literary persons, among whom 
was Mrs. L. H. Sigourney. ivL^, Polk remembered 



LIFE AT THE WHITE HOUSE. m 

that she was then rather stout, and had the appear- 
ance of one who was thinking, with a straight- 
forward look in her face. Washington is so much 
farther south than her home in Connecticut, that 
she spoke of it as a Southern city. Mrs. Alexander 
Hamilton was also there, and according to the cus- 
tom of aged ladies of that day, she wore a white 
cap with a crimped ruffle around the face, and white 
muslin strings tied under the chin. 

An elderly lady, who had been present at this 
dinner-party, called on Mrs. Polk a day or two after- 
ward, and during the conversation said, " May I take 
the liberty accorded to ladies of my age, and make 
a suggestion to you, Madame?" The dining-table 
at the White House was adorned with a long mirror 
laid down in the centre of the table, the edges of 
which were concealed under a border of vines with 
clustering leaves and blooms, and upon the mirror 
were placed pyramidal bouquets of flowers, — this 
arrangement, called the plateau, reflecting the light 
of the candelabra, and giving an attractive brilliancy 
to the scene. The table extended about a foot 
beyond the plateau, and this space was covered with 
a long napkin, which upon the removal of the 
dishes for dessert was rolled up by the servants, 
and formed a bulky bundle of linen. The lady's 
suggestion was that the long napkin should be cut 



112 LIFE AT THE WHITE HOUSE. 

into short pieces, for the convenience of the ser- 
vants. " I seldom noticed these things," said Mrs. 
Polk, " and did not know when the napkin was 
rolled up and taken ofif, being engaged in conversa- 
tion ; and I was often so much interested in the 
stream of discourse that the steward thought I ate 
too little, and he would put away some dish he knew 
I liked, hoping I might enjoy it afterward." She 
said that the servants knew their duties, and she did 
not undertake the needless task of directing them. 

Once when Col. Thomas H. Benton had been 
invited to dinner, and 6 o'clock, the appointed hour, 
had passed, he said, " Mrs. Polk, did you not invite 
us to come and dine at a certain hour? " " Colonel 
Benton," was the reply, " have you not lived in 
Washington long enough to know that the cooks tix 
the hour for dinner? " " Madame," he replied, "you 
have the advantage of me." 

One day, when Daniel Webster was placed beside 
Mrs. Polk at dinner, Mr. Speight, a senator from 
North Carolina, was sitting at one end of the table. 
This was considered an inferior position, the favo- 
rite seats being at the middle of the table, where 
the President sat on one side and his wife opposite, 
the places on either side of them being filled by 
guests who commanded the highest respect. Mr. 
Speight had requested this obscure seat that he 



LIFE AT THE WHITE HOUSE. 



113 



might dine quietly, unhindered by company or 
conversation. Seeing him placed there, Mr. Web- 
ster created much amusement by exclaiming, " Is 
he not a respectable gentleman?" 

A pleasant speech made to the mistress of the 
White House was specially ingenious. In the 
course of an evening reception, when the rooms 
were filled with guests, there fell one of those 
sudden silences that sometimes occur in the midst 
of the buzz of talk; then a deep, distinct voice 
slowly said, " Madame, I have long wished to see 
the lady upon whom the Bible pronounces a woe! " 
The remark was startling, and no one ventured to 
make a reply. Mrs. Polk looked with a puzzled 
air at the speaker, when he continued, " Does not 
the Bible say, ' Woe unto you when all men shall 
speak well of you ' ? " 

The company was considerably relieved at this 
happy turn of so solemn a speech, and the lady 
bowed her thanks for the delicate compliment. 

Mr. Jenkins has preserved in his pages an inci- 
dent which occurred during a visit made by Henry 
Clay to Washington, not long before the presidential 
election in 1848, when he dined at the White House, 
with many other distinguished men on both sides 
in politics. 

" The party is said to have been a very pleasant 



114 LIFE AT THE WHITE HOUSE. 

affair; good feeling abounded, and wit and lively 
repartee gave zest to the occasion. Mr. Clay was, 
of course, honored with a seat near the President's 
lady, where it became him to put in requisition 
those insinuating talents which he possesses in so 
eminent a degree, and which are irresistible even 
to his enemies. Mrs. Polk, with her usual frank 
and affable manner, was extremely courteous to her 
distinguished guest, whose good opinion she did not 
fail to win. 

" ' Madame,' said Mr. Clay, in that bland manner 
peculiar to himself, ' I must say that in my travels, 
wherever I have been, in all companies, and among 
all parties, I have heard but one opinion of you. 
All agree in commending in the highest terms your 
excellent administration of the domestic affairs of 
the White House. But,' continued he, directing 
her attention to her husband, ' as for that young 
gentleman there, I cannot say as much. There is,' 
said he, ' some little difference of opinion in regard 
to the policy of his course.' 

"'Indeed,' said Mrs. Polk, 'I am glad to hear 
that my administration is popular. And in return 
for your compliment, I will say that if the country 
should elect a Whig next fall, I know of no one 
whose elevation would please me more than that of 
Henry Clay.' 



LIFE AT THE WHITE HOUSE. II5 

"* Thank you, thank you, Madame.' 

" ' And I will assure you of one thing. If you do 
have occasion to occupy the White House on the 
4th of March next, it shall be surrendered to you 
in perfect order, from garret to cellar.' 

" ' I 'm certain that — ' 

" But the laugh that followed this pleasant repartee, 
which lost nothing from the manner nor the occa- 
sion of it, did not permit the guests at the lower 
end of the table to hear the rest of Mr. Clay's reply. 
Whether he was ' certain that ' he should be the 
tenant of the President's mansion, or whether he 
only said that he was 'certain that' whoever did 
occupy it would find it in good condition, like the 
result of the coming contest for the presidency, 
remained a mystery." 

Mr. Polk's health, never very strong, began to 
fail under the heavy weight of his cares and respon- 
sibilities. These had been greatly increased by 
the Mexican war. The Hon. Charles J. IngersoU 
called to tell Mrs. Polk that her husband was 
wearing himself out with constant and excessive 
application; that if he did not take some recrea- 
tion, he would die soon after the close of his term ; 
that she must insist upon his driving out morning 
and evening; that she must order her carriage 
and make him go with her. "I did so," she 



Il6 LIFE AT THE WHITE HOUSE. 

said, " and the carriage waited and waited, until it 
was too late. It would have been obliged to wait 
all day, for somebody was always in the office, and 
Mr. Polk would not, or could not, come. I sel- 
dom succeeded in getting him to drive with me," 
she added sadly. 

In May, 1848, the Mexican war was brought to a 
triumphant close. In the summer the President 
visited one or two watering places in Pennsylvania 
and Virginia, and the annexed letters were written 
at this time by his wife, who was detained by the 
presence of guests in the White House : — 

" Dear Husband : — I do hope when you re- 
ceive this note you will not say to yourself that 
your wife is as annoying as the office-seekers, per- 
secuting you wherever you go by compelling you 
to open and read a little budget of nonsense of my 
own sad complaints that I am separated from 
you. Yesterday, not being very well, I kept my 
room and felt disconsolate ; everything bore the 
appearance of universal quietness. The doorbell 
rang only a few times. I beg that you will stay 
long enough at Bedford to renovate your health. 
Grieved as I may be at your absence (don't think I 
am jesting), I do not wish you to leave there before 
Monday week; a shorter time cannot benefit you. 
How often do you intend to write me? " 



LIFE AT THE WHITE HOUSE. \\y 

Two days afterward she wrote as follows : — 

" I am this morning distressed on your account 
at the change in the weather, fearing that you will 
be discouraged and return home without benefit to 
yourself. I hope that you will not get sick, and 
know that you will keep a large fire, and wish that 
you may be able to stay as long as you intended 
when you left. There is nothing to call your atten- 
tion back here so soon. I saw Mr. Buchanan last 
evening; he was full of the foreign news, but I 
learned nothing very specific. I did not go to 
church on yesterday. I coughed so much I was 
afraid of disturbing the congregation. I would be 
very happy to be with you to-day at Bedford. The 
visit of our family circle to Mt. Vernon has passed 
off very well. The trip to New York and Tennes- 
see is still on the tapis, and when they will be ac- 
complished is more than I can tell. I heard from 
you verbally on yesterday morning. I fear that 
you will be so taken up with the Democracy of 
Pennsylvania that you will not find time to write 
me. If it rains to-morrow as it does to-day I will 
look for you back on Wednesday. Not that I think 
you ought to come, but knowing you as well as I 
do, I fear that you will. I beg you to be patient 
and wait for sunshine." 



Il8 LIFE AT THE WHITE HOUSE. 

During this summer the portraits of Mr. and 
Mrs. Polk were painted by Healy. In the year 
1847 or 1848 Daguerre's sun pictures were intro- 
duced in the United States, and the President and 
his wife sat for one of the new artists, who came to 
the White House to soHcit their patronage. 

In the last winter of this administration gas was 
brought into the Presidential mansion. It was in 
use in public buildings, but had not then taken the 
place of oil-lamps in private houses. The work of 
putting in the pipes and adjusting the fixtures was 
troublesome and tedious. Against the remon- 
strances of several friends, Mrs. Polk insisted that 
the reception-room should remain as it was, with 
its elegant chandelier for the use of wax candles. 
It had become known that at the next entertain- 
ment the Executive mansion would be lighted with 
gas. When the evening arrived, and the house was 
thronged with guests, lo, the brilliant jets suddenly 
vanished, and the company was left in darkness. 
One room, however, was still lustrous with many 
points of light, — the reception-room, where the 
wax candles were shedding their soft radiance. 
There were numerous lively exclamations of pleas- 
ure at what was called " Mrs. Polk's sagacity," 
which in this instance seemed to be a kind of 
foresight. 



^^"^f^ 









0^^. 






K 



/.^^^Jr- .% 



^-^j-^ ^ 




y^^^ <g:;<^ 



yV/c- annexed fac-niniU of a letter of Mrs. Polk was -written to 
her hmband m August, 1848. // tvas enclosed in a small envelope, 
and /hen re-enclosed in a larger one. On the end 0/ the latter is the 
president's endorsement of the date of its receipt. 



2 ^^. 



^. 





irr;;!^ 



A.^ 



^-'^ 





MRS. I'OLK. 

Copy of Hi'iilvi poilraif, painted in I(S4S. 



LIFE AT THE WHITE HOUSE. 119 

As his presidential term neared its close Mr. 
Polk's thoughts turned with longing to the old 
home in Columbia. The following letter was 
written in the last month of his administration : 

"Dear Mother: — It has been more than four 
years since I left Tennessee, They have been 
years of unceasing labor and anxiety, and of high 
public responsibility. I am heartily rejoiced that 
my presidential term is so near its close. I am sure 
that I will enjoy the quiet of retirement, and the 
rest which I so much need. I expect to leave 
Washington for Tennessee on the 6th of March, 
taking the southern route, by the way of Charles- 
ton and New Orleans, and will probably reach 
Nashville about the 25th of March. We will 
make a short stop at Nashville, and proceed at 
once to Columbia, when I hope to find you in 
the enjoyment of good health. My own health 
and that of my household continue to be good. 
I write simply to apprise you of my movements 
at the close of my term." 

The same day the appended acrostic was written 
by " W. S. T.," of Millersburg, Ohio : — 

"Joined to no idol save the cause of man, 
All critic foes in vaintliv deeds shall scan. 
Mid storms and clamor and the scowls of war, 
Eternal Right hath been thy polar star. 



I20 LIFE AT THE WHITE HOUSE. 

Sacred and just, thy principles sublime, 

Known and belov'd, shall spread through ever)- clime. 

Preserved by valor from the spoiler's hand. 

Our flag still waves o'er freedom's happy land. 

Let envy sneer, let calumny decry, 

Known to the just, thy fame shall never die." 

In the "Ladies' National Magazine" for March, 
1849, appeared a tribute to Mrs. Polk, by Mrs, 
Ann S. Stephens, who was then in high hterary 
fame. It was widely copied by the newspapers, 
and read by many thousands. We copy only the 
third stanza: — 

" There, standing in our nation's home, 

My memory ever pictures thee, 
As some bright dame of ancient Rome, 

Modest, yet all a queen sliould be. 
I love to keep thee in my mind, 

Thus mated with the pure of old. 
When love, with lofty deeds combined. 

Made women great and warriors bold." 

A correspondent of the " New York Journal of 
Commerce " gave a description of the last recep- 
tion of the President and his wife, which occurred 
on the 28th of February: — 

''Although we were old fashioned enough to go at half- 
past eight o'clock, we found a large concourse of the sov- 
ereign people already assembled. .A.fter exchanging a word 
or two with Mr. and Mrs. Polk we passed on into the 
well known East Room. The rooms were lighted up most 
beautifully. About one o'clock in the morning the doors 
of the Presidential mansion were closed. It is estimated 



LIFE AT THE WHITE HOUSE. 121 

that more than five thousand people paid their respects to 
Mr. and Mrs. Polk in the course of the ni^ht. The 
greater part of them were strangers who had come to 
Washington to witness the inauguration. There were 
almost no members of either the Senate or House of Rep- 
resentatives, as both those bodies were in session that ni<j-ht. 
Several, if not all, of the members of the Cabinet were 
present. I was struck with the very venerable and patri- 
archal aspect of Mr. Cave Johnson, the Postmaster-General. 
Mr. Buchanan looks very considerably older than he did 
four years ago. He informed us that he is going to return 
to Lancaster, Pennsylvania, his native place, to spend the 
remainder of his life there. They say he has a ' Sabine 
farm ' in the vicinity of that ancient but small German city. 
Mr. Polk appeared very well. Mrs. Polk appeared, as she 
always does, a charming woman, who has won the profound 
respect of all hearts. Mr. Polk's administration has been 
a most eventful one. During his term the annexation of 
Texas was consummated, the vexed question of the north- 
ern boundary of Oregon was settled, and the large provinces 
of New Mexico and California were added to the United 
States as the result of a war that might possibly have been 
postponed a few months or years, but which was in my 
humble opinion inevitable." 

The last State dinner took place on Thursday, 
the 1st of March, and was given in honor of the 
President-elect, Gen. Zachary Taylor, and the Vice- 
President-elect, Mr. Millard Fillmore. 

A writer in the " Washington Union " contributed 
an eloquent valedictory to the lady whose sojourn 
in the capital city was so near its close : — 



122 LIFE AT THE WHITE HOUSE. 

A FAREWELL TO MRS. POLK. 

Lady, farewell ! Amid the gloom of grief, 

How many a heart will utter that sad sound. 

Farewell! ''For thee a thousand hearts will mourn, — 

So much of friendship lost, of sorrow found. 

And thou wilt leave a void in friendship's hall. 

Where jovous notes were once- so wont to rise, 

Like that fair pleiad which forsook its home, 

And caused to mourn the sisters of the skies. 

But thou must go; yet with thee thou shalt bear 

A stranger's hope upon the distant way, 

And only fade to give a calmer day. 

A welcome, too, I 'd give thee to my home, 

My sunny home, the old Palmetto soil, 

Where many a heart, all warm and true and kind, 

Shall chase away the gloom of travel's toil. 

And may life pass as soft as sunset hour, 

When gentle rays gleam on the skies above, 

And may each pulse in sweetest union beat, 

To the soft music of the harp of love. 

The 3d of March fell on Saturday. After receiv- 
ing throngs of visitors during the day Mr. and Mrs. 
Polk withdrew to a hotel at six o'clock, there to 
remain until after General Taylor's inauguration on 
the following Monday, when they would begin their 
journey homeward. They w^ere escorted to the 
hotel by the members of the Cabinet and their 
families. 

The next day they were at church in their accus- 
tomed seats. The pastor, Mr. Ballentine, addressed 
them in a touching little farewell speech ; and when 



LIFE AT THE WHITE HOUSE. 



123 



the services were over, instead of dispersing as 
usual, the congregation stood still, seemingly spell- 
bound by the universal desire to see the President 
and his wife. They were the only persons who 
stepped from their places, and as they moved down 
the aisle, greeting one friend and another as they 
passed, the congregation closed in behind them, 
thus paying a silent homage of sincere respect. 

This Sabbath was the 4th of March, and there 
was much comment made upon the occurrence; 
some persons supposing that on that day there was 
no President, Mr. Polk having withdrawn the even- 
ing before, and General Taylor being obliged to 
wait until Monday to be inaugurated. It seemed to 
be a sort of interregnum. It is the law, however, 
that every oflficer's term shall continue until the 
installation of his successor, and therefore Mr. Polk 
was the President until General Taylor took the 
oath of office. 

On Monday, according to custom, the out-going 
President rode to the Capitol in the carriage with 
his successor, to take a part in the solemnities of the 
inauguration. Seated beside them were the Hon. 
Robert C. Winthrop, ex-Speaker of the House, and 
Mr. Seaton, mayor of Washington. Mrs. Polk wit- 
nessed the impressive rites which, four years before, 
had been so closely connected with her own life. 



DEPARTURE FROM WASHINGTON 
TO TENNESSEE. 



CHAPTER VIII. 

1849. 

A T nine o'clock on the evening of the 5th of 
■^^^ March, 1849, escorted from the hotel to the 
steamer by the members of his own cabinet and 
their families, and also by many others, Mr. and 
Mrs. Polk took passage on the steamer " Balti- 
more," for Richmond. They were accompanied by 
their young nieces. Miss Hays and Miss Rucker, 
by the Hon. Robert J. Walker, ex-Secretary of the 
Treasury, Major Daniel Graham and wife, of Nash- 
ville, and other personal friends. Mr. Polk had 
accepted the invitations of the Southern cities, and 
was going homeward by that route. The journey 
was marked by receptions, by military displays, 
decorations and illuminations, and other manifesta- 
tions of respect and honor. That these ovations 
were prompted by pure esteem is plain from the 
fact that Mr. Polk was retiring from power and 
had no favors to bestow. Universal approbation 
had been freely expressed for the womanly and 



128 FROM WASHINGTON TO TENNESSEE. 

sensible course of his wife in the most conspic- 
uous home in the United States, and this feeHng 
doubtless had a share in the sentiment imi:)elling 
these tributes of respect. 

The travellers took the railway at Acquia Creek. 
At Fredericksburg and other points on the road, 
the people were assembled in crowds to greet 
them. At the Junction the ex-President was met 
by a committee of invitation, who accompanied 
him to Richmond. Here the streets and windows 
were filled with spectators, and handkerchiefs were 
waving in every direction. The booming of cannon, 
and the brilliant military display created a scene 
of the most exciting character. A committee of 
the legislature conducted Mr. Polk to the hall 
of the House of Delegates, where the Senate, the 
House, with Governor Floyd and Council, and a 
large number of citizens had assembled. Mr, 
Speaker Hopkins addressed Mr. Polk in a speech 
from which the following passage is quoted : — 

" I may say that, previous to your administra- 
tion, the setting sun of heaven never cast his 
last evening rays upon the confines of our glorious 
Union. But now, sir, and forever, that brilliant 
orb of light, when he emerges from the billows 
of the Atlantic, darts his first morning rays upon 
the sandy beach of our eastern sea-shore, and after 



FROM WASHINGTON TO TENNESSEE. 129 

performing his daily round through the heavens, 
when he dips his broad disk into the placid bosom 
of the calm Pacific, his last lingering beams still 
play upon United States soil in the glittering gold- 
dust of California." 

Mr. Polk, in reply, spoke of the great honor 
done him in so enthusiastic a reception. One of 
his remarks was that he was no longer a servant 
of the people, but had become now, since Mon- 
day last, a sovereign. 

Mrs. Polk, with the other ladies of the party, 
had been taken to the residence of Mr. James A. 
Seddon, and during the few hours of their stay 
in Richmond they received many visitors, and were 
well entertained. 

At Petersburg, where they dined, and at Weldon, 
where Whitfield's Hotel and other buildings were 
illuminated in their honor, they were greeted with 
great cordiality. When they reached Wilmington, 
on Wednesday morning, the bells were rung, and a 
large procession, led by the military with stirring 
music, conducted them to Swann's Hotel. During 
the day Mrs. Polk received many callers. Among 
the crowds who flocked to see Mr. Polk at the 
Masonic Hall, was the committee sent from 
Charleston to welcome him in advance to that 
city. At ten o'clock Thursday morning they left 

9 



130 FROM WASHINGTON TO TENNESSEE. 

Wilmington on the steamer " Governor Dudley," 
to the manifest regret of the assembled multitude, 
and were followed by the parting salutes of the 
artillery. On the way, the boat stopped for two 
hours at Smithville. At this place stood an old 
block-house of the Revolution, identified with the 
first assertion of Independence; and here many 
pressed to pay their respects to the out-going 
President. 

Friday morning they landed at Gadsden's 
Wharf, Charleston. Mrs. Polk and the ladies of her 
company were conducted by a special committee 
to apartments prepared for them in the Carolina 
Hotel. Mr. W. H. Conner offered to the party 
the hospitalities of the city. He was appropri- 
ately chosen for this pleasant duty, having been a 
fellow-student at Chapel Hill with their honored 
visitor, and a native of the same county in North 
Carolina. In the streets there were triumphal 
arches; private houses were decorated, while the 
windows and balconies were white with fluttering 
handkerchiefs. The dense masses of people in 
the streets raised their hats, as one man, in honor 
of the city's guest. After a cordial welcome from 
the mayor and hundreds of citizens, the ex- 
President and his party were introduced to Gov- 
ernor Seabrook, and to the general, field, and 



FROM WASHINGTON TO TENNESSEE. m 

Staff officers of the militia. At four o'clock they 
dined at St. Andrew's Hall with the city authorities 
and many citizens. Over the entrance to the hall 
a temporary stand for the orchestra had been 
erected, supported by palmetto pilasters, along the 
front of which were painted on white cloth the 
arms of North Carolina and of Tennessee. In 
the centre, on blue silk, in gold letters, were the 
words, "Territories of New Mexico and Cali- 
fornia." Every window was curtained with the 
national flag, except one, where hung the flag of 
the State. The window facing the entrance was 
surmounted with the great seal of the United 
States. 

Early the following morning the presidential 
party embarked for Savannah. A beautiful can- 
opy had been built on the wharf, under which they 
passed to the boat. Two pillars, fifteen feet high, 
were made of square bales of Carolina upland cot- 
ton, resting upon bases of large Georgia bales, each 
pillar faced with a bale of Carolina Sea Island cot- 
ton. A barrel of rice capped each pillar. These 
were connected by a beam of Carolina pine, covered 
with American ensigns in graceful festoons, and sup- 
porting this inscription : " The Old Palmetto State 
bids thee farewell." The whole was entwined with 
branches of arbor-vitae, laurel, cedar, and palmetto. 



132 FROM WASHINGTON TO TENNESSEE. 

It was the law at that time in South Carolina that 
if the Governor should go beyond the State lines 
he would cease to be the Governor. The original 
plan of the party had been to visit the coast towns 
of South Carolina, and Governor Seabrook em- 
barked with them ; but, unknown to him, it had 
been arranged to go directly to Savannah. When 
the governor learned this fact he left the steamer at 
Beaufort. 

About nine o'clock in the evening the vessel was 
seen from the bluffs of Savannah, and her signal 
rockets and many lights proclaimed the presence 
of the distinguished travellers. The guns of the 
Chatham Light Artillery, Captain Gallic, saluted 
them as the steamer approached, and spoke in 
loud tones a Georgia welcome. The " Savannah 
Georgian " of March 12, 1849, says: — 

" This veteran corps had the pleasing duty of welcoming 
with similar tones from their well-plied pieces, the illus- 
trious Washington, when President, to our city and State, 
and of receiving the encomiums of the Father of his coun- 
try, with the gift of two cannon, captured at Yorktown." 

When the boat reached the wharf the mayor and 
many citizens came on board and were introduced; 
after which the distinguished guests were escorted 
by a large body of the military to the Pulaski House. 
One who saw it all wrote : " As the procession 



FROM WASHINGTON- TO TENNESSEE. 133 

moved to the hotel, the mellow beams of the full 
moon spread over the face of the scene, exhibitino- 
to the beholder the streets thronged with people, 
and the windows and balconies a perfect galaxy of 
the pride and beauty of Georgia." Subsequently 
the ex- President received the visits of the citizens 
at the Armory Hall. 

The next day being Sunday, Mr. and Mrs. Polk 
went to the Independent Presbyterian Church, of 
which the Rev. Mr. Preston was pastor. When 
they were seated, hymn-books were passed to them 
by various persons, and with every book was a little 
bouquet of roses, or violets, or some other fragrant 
flower. " We took the bouquets," Mrs. Polk said, 
" appreciating the delicately offered compliment, 
but returned the books, for we could use but one." 

Early on Monday morning, accompanied to the 
depot by troops and music, and a host of citizens, 
the party took the train for Macon. Reaching that 
city at six o'clock in the evening, " they were re- 
ceived," says the " Georgia Telegraph," " with every 
demonstration of respect by the crowd who filled 
the sidewalks and windows, from which many a 
snowy scarf fluttered to the evening breeze." Tues- 
day morning, the ex-President w^as UTlcomed by the 
Hon. A. H. Chappell, and Mr. Polk spoke in reply 
from an upper porch of the Floyd House. Though 



134 FROM WASHINGTON TO TENNESSEE. 

the day was warm many ladies were present, and 
the attention of all was so absorbed that there was 
scarcely a movement of the umbrellas. Mrs. Polk 
was with a group of ladies in the parlor below, with- 
in sound of her husband's voice. She said that " the 
speech was beautifully delivered, as all his speeches 
were, his manner quiet, calm, and dignified, and 
his voice soft and melodious, and at the same time 
clear and commanding." She thought that his 
talents were undervalued, simply because he was 
the opponent of so celebrated a statesman as Henry 
Clay. The next morning at six o'clock, amid the 
roar of cannon, and the farewell greeting of hundreds 
who had assembled at that early hour, the party left 
by the Macon and Western cars. 

At Forsyth and Barnesville and Thomaston and 
many other places, the people seemed anxious to do 
honor to those who had honored their country by 
noble conduct in high position. At Columbus they 
were entertained at the home of Judge Colquitt, the 
father of Governor Colquitt; and at Montgomery, 
Alabama, they were greeted with many signs of joy- 
ous welcome. From the latter city they took pas- 
sage in the steamer " Emperor " for Mobile. Here 
the demonstration was novel and unique. As the 
steamer approached, the boat carrying the commit- 
tee of reception came alongside and was lashed fast. 



FROM WASHINGTO.V TO TENNESSEE. I35 

The committee then boarded the steamer, accom- 
panied by a band of musicians, and two Nashville 
ladies, Mrs. Mason and Mrs. Ledyard, the only per- 
sons permitted that privilege, the number already 
on board being so great. Then the steamers on 
the bay, gayly decorated, drew near on either side, 
forming a semi-circle in front of the city. The 
mayor stood on shore, on a pile of cotton bales 
as high as a two-story house, and addressed the 
late President in a glowing speech of welcome, 
to which Mr. Polk replied from the deck of the 
steamer. It was a striking scene, and those who 
saw it can never forget the impression made by 
the lovely bay reflecting the tints of the bright 
sky, the fluttering pennons, the decorations of the 
steamers, and the rich music enveloping the whole 
like a delicious atmosphere. 

Mr. Polk was much weakened by the fatigue and 
excitement of this triumphal progress. The sudden 
change of climate in the early spring-time had also 
reduced his strength. He had long been suffering 
from impaired health, and a predisposition of late 
years to severe attacks of illness made it impera- 
tive that he should hasten homeward. The dreaded 
cholera had made its appearance in many places, 
north and south, and there had already been several 
cases in New Orleans. Extensive preparations for 



136 FROM IVASHIXGTON TO TENNESSEE. 

a reception had been made in this queen city of 
Louisiana. He acknowledged the kindness of the 
people by taking part in a public dinner, from 
which, however, he withdrew early, in compliance 
with the wish and entreaty of his wife. The phy- 
sician had said to her, " You can insist on leaving 
immediately, but your husband cannot do so with- 
out seeming to undervalue the honors the city has 
been arranging for him." 

The trip thus far had been without expense to 
the ex-President, but now Mrs. Polk earnestly de- 
sired to bear all their own expenses, that they might 
be free to leave at once. The committee advised 
her, however, that a steamer would convey Mr. 
Polk and herself and friends to Nashville with- 
out charge; "but, Madame," they said, "it is not 
yet ready ; but will be on the day appointed 
for your departure." While profoundly grateful 
for this attention, the feeling that her husband's 
life was at stake adn-iitted of no delay; and they 
accordingly at once embarked. The original plan 
was to stop at Natchez, but Mr. Polk had been 
taken ill on the boat, and it was absolutely neces- 
sary to hasten homeward. A correspondent wrote : 
" Much to the disappointment of the people of 
Natchez, the loud report of the brass field-piece 
mounted on the bluff overlooking the river, had 



FROM WASHINGTON TO TENA^ESSEE. 137 

scarcely apprised the neighborhood of the near 
approach of the steamer, ere a gun from the 
' VVatkins' ' deck announced her arrival and de- 
parture, and she continued to stem the mighty- 
current of the Mississippi on her way to Nashville." 

The illness of Mr. Polk detained the party at 
Smithland, and they did not reach Nashville until 
several days after the appointed time. 

The " Nashville Union" of April 3 said : — 

"The reception of Mr. Polk yesterday, although en- 
tirely spontaneous, was one of the most entluisiastic we 
have ever witnessed. He was expected last Friday, and' 
arrangements for his reception were interrupted by news 
of his sickness at Smithland. The most intense anxiety 
for his health has pervaded the city, which was relieved 
by the intelligence yesterday morning that he would be 
in Nashville Monday morning. By eleven o'clock the 
steamboat landing was crowded. The steamer ' Countess ' 
arrived at our wharf about twelve o'clock, and Mr. Polk was 
escorted by the multitude to the Court House Square, 
where he was addressed by Gov. Neill S. Brown, in an 
eloquent speech. The feebleness of the late President was 
apparent, and it was scarcely expected tliat he would do 
more than make an acknowledgment of the reception. 
But he seemed to be inspired from the moment the first 
word fell from his lips, to forget his feebleness, and to re- 
new his ancient energy, as he ' felt his foot upon his native 
heath.' His speech was touching, and he referred in elo- 
quent terms to the happiness of reaching home. At the 
conclusion of tlie ceremonies Mr. Polk was escorted to the 



138 FROM WASHINGTON TO TENNESSEE. 

Verandah, where he and his wife were visited by a large 
number of citizens," 

They remained a day or two at this new hos- 
telry, now called the Commercial Hotel. 

Their first duty and pleasure was to visit the two 
loving and proud mothers, Mrs. Elizabeth Whitsitt 
Childress at Murfreesborough, and Mrs. Jane Knox 
Polk at Columbia. They were received at Mur- 
freesborough with every mark of esteem, and the 
people remembered that it was in their town that 
Mr. Polk had begun a public career in which he 
had achieved so much for his fellow-countrymen, 
and distinction for himself. At Columbia he was 
greeted by the citizens of Maury, Marshall, Giles, 
and Lewis counties, who met him with music and 
waving banners. General Pillow made the address 
of welcome. At the residence of his mother he 
was met and congratulated by hundreds, of both 
political parties. 

When they returned to Nashville, their new home 
was ready, and the parlors were thrown open to 
receive old and new friends. In such pleasant 
presence and with unbounded expressions of good 
wishes, the ex-President and his wife took up their 
abode at Polk Place, 



THE NASHVILLE HOME. 




EX-PKESIDENT FOLK. 



CHAPTER IX. 

1 849-1 850. 

"pOLK PLACE was a large and substantial build- 
■^ ing. A part of the grounds in front of the 
south entrance was enclosed in a tall iron fence 
with heavy folding gates, while the portion leading 
to Church Street was given to the city as a thorough- 
fare, and is known as Polk Avenue. The carriage- 
drive sweeps round either side of the pavement, 
from the gates to the house, in a green lawn for- 
merly dotted with trees. Only a few of these now 
remain. Most of them were short lived, and were 
blown down by storms, or worn out by time. Pass- 
ing up three or four stone steps and across a small 
open vestibule, one is ushered through a lofty door- 
way into a spacious, airy hall, opening into parlors 
to the right and left. From this large hall, a smaller 
one on the north side leads to the dining-room and 
other apartments. Another passage leads to the 
east entrance with a wide portico, supported by 
fluted columns. The grounds on this side slope 



142 THE NASHVILLE HOME. 

gradually to Vine Street, where the iron gate is 
formed of a massive anchor, surmounted by the 
American Eagle. In the centre of the large hall 
was a circular table covered with a slab of Egyptian 
marble about three feet in diameter, inlaid with a 
mosaic of colored marbles, representing the Ameri- 
can Eagle bearing the coat of arms of the United 
States ; while in the margin were thirty white stars, 
the number of States then composing the Union. 
This slab had been presented by a friend in Tunis, 
and arrived soon after Mr. Polk reached Nashville. 
The frame of the table was of dark wood, and was 
made in Tennessee. 

The appointments of the various rooms were 
tasteful and substantial. But the rich carpets, the 
damask curtains, and red velvet ottomans, sofas, 
and easy chairs, and other furniture, were not so 
attractive as the numerous pictures. Opposite the 
entrance to the large hall, was an engraving of the 
Senate Chamber as it was early in the forties, in 
which the familiar faces of Clay, Calhoun, Webster, 
and other notable men of that time, are depicted. 
In the gallery appears Mrs. Madison among the 
visitors. Mrs. Polk, who was not then in Washing- 
ton, was also seated in the gallery, without a bonnet, 
— a piece of absurdity at which she seemed much 
amused. The most interesting picture in this hall 



THE NASHVILLE HOME. 143 

was a portrait of Hernando Cortez, a life-size, three- 
quarter-length view. Shortly before the close of 
her husband's presidency it was presented to Mrs. 
Polk by General Worth, whose monument adorns 
the angle at the junction of Fifth Avenue and 
Broadway in New York. It seemed especially ap- 
propriate that General Worth, one of the officers 
in the Mexican army, should send a picture of 
Cortez, the original conqueror of that country, to 
the wife of the President under whose administra- 
tion a large part of this valuable territory was added 
to the United States. The portrait is a copy of one 
that hangs in the Hospital of Jesus, founded by 
Cortez, in the city of Mexico, and represents that 
hero equipped in shining coat of mail, standing be- 
side a table where lie his iron gauntlets and plume- 
crowned helmet. His hair and beard are dark and 
abundant, and the large brown eyes are looking up- 
ward with a contemplative expression. On the 
drapery of the background is the coat of arms 
which the Emperor Charles V. granted to Cor- 
tez by a royal patent issued at Madrid on the 
7th of March, 1525, On the 7th of May, 1849, the 
picture was hung in the hall at Polk Place, and the 
same day a despatch came announcing the death of 
General Worth, in San Antonio, Texas. 

Over the white marble mantel-piece in the large 



1^4 THE NASHVILLE HOME. 

parlor was Mr. Polk's portrait, painted by Healy in 
1848; and in the recess on the right, that of his 
wife, painted at the same time. The latter reveals 
to us a graceful woman, with bright, dark eyes, and 
clustering curls under a becoming head-dress. She 
is attired in red velvet, with uncovered neck accord- 
ing to the custom of that day, while from the right 
shoulder a black lace shawl hangs in careless folds. 
She is smiling, as if some pleasant word had just 
been spoken, or had occurred to her own mind. 
In this room were portraits of Washington, Jeffer- 
son, and Madison, copies of Stuart's original pic- 
tures in Mrs. Madison's house at Washington. 
They were copied by Mr. King, of that city, having 
been ordered by Mr. Polk after his return to Ten- 
nessee, and did not arrive until after his death. 
Mrs. Madison died about two months afterward. 
There was also a portrait of Governor Aaron V. 
Brown, painted by the artist Cooper. Facing 
W^ashington's picture was General Jackson's por- 
trait, painted by Sully. The hair is iron-gray, and 
the eyes are lighted with a gentle, kindly expres- 
sion. Beneath this was an engraving of John 
Ouincy Adams, whose face is bright with an ani- 
mated look which he did not often wear in the 
presence of Jackson. In a dark, heavy frame was a 
fac-simile of the Declaration of Independence, with 



THE NASHVILLE LIOME. 



145 



all the historic names affixed in autograph. In the 
smaller parlor across the hall, were portraits of Mr, 
and Mrs. Polk, painted by Earle during General 
Jackson's presidency. His first message to Con- 
gress, printed on white satin framed in gilt, Mr. 
Polk had placed on the mantel; and on either side 
of it was a cop}' of his inaugural address as Gover- 
nor of Tennessee, and as President of the United 
States, similarly printed and framed. These were 
left just where they had been put by his own hand. 
An etagere enclosed with glass doors, standing be- 
neath Mrs. Polk's portrait, contained her husband's 
canes, and also the books which had been presented 
to her, among which were several fine copies of 
" The Pilgrim's Progress." 

This home was to be a veritable and continuing 
White House of repose and peace, in which the 
favored dwellers expected to spend tranquil and 
happy days, after many years of public life and 
service. 

In the pleasant weeks of the spring-time Mr. Polk's 
health continued as usual, and he and his wife occu- 
pied themselves with their friends and books, and 
in overseeing the improvements of the grounds 
around the house. A friend writing at that time 
says that he lately saw him on the lawn, superin- 
tending the removal of some decaying cedars, and 

10 



146 THE NASHVILLE HOME. 

adds, " I was struck with his erect bearing and the 
energy of his manner, which gave promise of long 
Hfe. His flowing gray locks alone made him ap- 
pear beyond middle age." 

On the 28th of May Mr. Polk wrote to his 
nephew, J. Knox Walker: " There have been a few 
cases of cholera here within the past week, some 
of which have terminated fatally. There is some 
alarm in the community .in consequence of its ap- 
pearance, though it is not considered as epidemic. 
We are quietly settled in our new home, and are 
pleased with it." 

A day or two afterward he said to his wife, 
" Sarah, Nashville is getting so much of the 
cholera that we will go away Monday." He had 
bought a pair of carriage-horses, and his last busi- 
ness transaction was to give a check for four hun- 
dred and fifty dollars in payment. On Saturday, 
they drove out to Major Graham's place in the 
country. Their plan was to leave home on Mon- 
day, to pass the night at the house of Mr. George 
W. Childress, on the way to Columbia. On Sun- 
day morning he was lying on the sofa, downstairs, 
and said, " Sarah, I cannot go to church with you 
to-day." She replied, "Well ; I will go by myself. 
You cannot always be with me." When she had 
left the room, he called her back; " Sarah, I do not 



THE NASHVILLE HOME. 147 

want you to go. I am too unwell. Have a fire 
made in my room upstairs, and send for Dr. Felix 
Robertson. Tell him I want company to sit with 
me this morning." It was the third of June, but 
a cool day. On a rainy day, the week before, he 
had busied himself in arranging his books, and 
absorbed in the labor had overtaxed his strength. 
This brought on a return of a malady which had 
troubled him for some years. 

On Sunday evening Dr. Robertson again called 
and suggested that as he was too old to go out at 
night, some younger practitioner should be called 
in. Dr. Buchanan was employed ; and the next 
day Dr. Esselman was also engaged. He was an 
old friend of Mr. Polk's, and had been General 
Jackson's physician, attending him in his last ill- 
ness, four years before. 

For a long time the enfeebled state of his health 
had given Mr. Polk much anxiety concerning his 
wife. Should he be taken away, his heart sank at 
the thought of the desolation of widowhood that 
would befall her who had so long been the constant 
companion and the sympathetic sharer in the varied 
experiences of his life. So perfect had been their 
union that he could hardly realize the fact that his 
boyhood had been spent without the daily joy of 
her presence. He might not be able to spare her 



148 THE NASHVILLE HOME. 

the pain of separation, but he would at least so 
arrange his affairs that she should still have the 
refuge and comfort of a home. The straits to 
which Mrs. Madison had been reduced in her de- 
clining days had distressed him, and he was anxious 
that his wife should be placed beyond the need of 
public or private beneficence. Soon after the be- 
ginning of his illness he said to her that he had so 
settled the property that it could not be taken from 
her; that the plantation in Mississippi would sup- 
port her; but if that income should fail, she could 
get some friend to take a part of the house and board 
her. Unwilling to hear him talk on such a subject, 
she interrupted him, but he persevered in telling 
her what to do in the event of his death. " How 
thoughtful he was," she afterward said, " and how 
far-seeing; for it is owing to his wise precaution 
that the home which he selected has been to me a 
sheltering haven through all these years." 

His devoted friends, John B. Johnson and V. K. 
Stevenson, sat at his bedside every alternate night. 
During these heavy days the cook was taken sick, 
but Mrs. Polk knew nothing of it, for Colonel 
Stevenson hearing of the inconvenience, went 
quickly home and sent his own to Polk Place, hiring 
a strange servant for his own family. Mrs. Polk 
learned of this delicate kindness long afterward. 



THE NASHVILLE HOME. 149 

As the disease continued its hold, Mr, Polk asked 
that his brother-in-law, Dr. Hays of Columbia, be 
sent for. Dr. Jennings and several other physicians 
were also summoned for consultation, but all efforts 
were unavailing; the precious life ebbed slowly but 
steadily away. One day the public stage stopped 
at the Avenue, and Bishop Otey alighted. He 
entered the sick chamber and stood beside the 
bed. Holding one of Mr. Polk's hands in his, 
with his own right hand uplifted, he prayed earn- 
estly for the dying man. 

A Nashville correspondent of the " New York 
Herald " gave a detailed description of the closing 
scenes, from which the following extract is taken: 



" Mr. Polk sent for the Rev. Dr. Edgar of the Presby- 
terian Church, desiring to be baptized by him. He said, 
' Sir, if I had suspected twenty years ago that I should 
come to my death-bed unprepared, it would have made me 
a wretched man ; yet I am about to die and have not 
made preparation. Tell me, sir, can there be any ground 
for a man thus situated to hope?' The minister made 
known to him the assurances and promises of the gospel 
that mercifully run parallel with man's life. Mr. Polk 
evinced raiich knowledge of the Scriptures, which he said 
he had read a great deal, and deeply reverenced as divine 
truth. The conversation fatiguing him too much, the 
baptism was postponed till the next evening. In the inter- 
val, he recollected that when he was Governor and lived 



ISO 



THE NASHVILLE HOME. 



here, he used to hold many arguments with the Rev. Mr. 
McFerrin, a talented Methodist minister; and that he had 
promised him that when he did embrace Christianity, he. 
Mr. McFerrin, should baptize him. He therefore sent for 
Dr. Edgar, made known this obligation, and expressed his 
intention to be baptized by the Methodist minister. The 
same day the venerable Mrs. Polk, his mother, a pious 
Presbyterian lady, arrived from her residence forty miles 
distant, accompanied by her own pastor, hoping that her 
son would consent to be baptized by him. ' Mother,' said 
Mr. Polk, ' I have never disobeyed you, but you must yield 
to your son now, and gratify my wishes.' His wise mother 
did not hesitate to give her consent ; and in the presence 
of Dr. Edgar, and the Rev. Mr. Mack, of Columbia, he 
received the rite of baptism at the hands of Mr. McFerrin. 

'• He continued gradually to sink, and at twenty minutes 
before five o'clock, on the afternoon of the 15th of June, 
he passed away without a struggle, simply ceasing to 
breathe. He was in his fifty-fourth year. About half an 
hour before his death his venerable mother entered the 
room, and kneeling by his bedside, offered up a beautiful 
prayer to the King of Kings and Lord of Lords, commit- 
ting the soul of her son into His holy keeping. 

"The body lies in state to-day. The drawing-rooms are 
shrouded in black ; every window is in mourning with 
black scarfs of crape ; the two pillars before the south 
entrance, and the tall columns of the portico facing the 
east, are wound with black cloth. Before the funeral, 
Masonic ceremonies will be performed in the drawing- 
room over the body. Death has impressed the features 
with the seal of majesty. A plain silver plate upon the 
coffin bears his name, and the dates of his , birth and 
death." 



THE NASHVILLE HOME. 151 

No words can describe the depth of grief into 
which the proud and loving wife was phinged by 
this bitter bereavement. Many years after, recall- 
ing the scenes of dignity and joy through which 
she had passed, she said, pathetically, when she 
came to this experience, " and life was then a 
blank." 

The funeral sermon was preached in the Mc- 
' Kendree Methodist Church, by Dr. McFerrin. 
The text was from the first chapter of i Peter, 
verses 3-5 : " Blessed be the God and Father of 
our Lord Jesus Christ, which according to His 
abimdant mercy hath begotten us again unto a 
lively hope by the resurrection of Jesus Christ 
from the dead, to an inheritance incorruptible, 
and undefiled, and that fadeth not away, reserved 
in heaven for you, who are kept by the power 
of God through faith unto salvation ready to be 
revealed in the last time." From this same text 
Dr. McFerrin had preached a sermon at a camp- 
meeting held near Columbia in 1833, at which 
Mr. Polk was present. Dr. Fitzgerald, in his life 
of Dr. McFerrin, says : " The plain common-sense 
and earnest spirit of the sermon commended the 
truth to the judgment of the clear-headed and 
honest lawyer, and the Holy Spirit opened his 
heart to receive the message of God. The gra- 



152 THE NASHVILLE HOME. 

cious impression was indelible. He went away 
from the camp-ground a convicted sinner, if not 
a converted man. The words of the sermon still 
rang in his inner ear, the prayers and songs of 
the worshipping multitude followed him, and as he 
rode homeward through the beech forests and 
fertile fields of Maury County, he was a changed 
man." 

A record of the manifestations of grief, public 
and private, at the loss of this citizen, patriot, and 
friend would fill a volume. Mrs. Polk's grief was 
almost unspeakable. At first, her friends naturally 
refrained from mentioning the name of her hus- 
band. But the Rev. Dr. Philip Lindsley, President 
of the University of Nashville, when he called to 
see her, said that it was his custom in convers- 
ing with the bereaved to speak of the dead. This 
directness of speech caused her a pang like the 
probing of a wound too sore to bear the touch of 
even a gentle finger. Her tears began to flow, and 
the relief of speaking freely of that which ever 
weighed heavily on her thoughts was so soothing 
that she was much comforted by the visit. 

The following extract is from one of the many 
letters of condolence which came from old friends. 
It was written by the Hon. VV. L. Marcy, Mr. 
Polk's Secretary of War. 



THE NASHVILLE HOME. 



153 



" When the awful event was announced I could 
scarcely realize its truth. It was too afflictino- 
to be readily believed ; and too well authenticated 
to be reasonably doubted. This vacillation be- 
tween hope and fear soon ceased. When the sad 
news could no longer be questioned, all began to 
reflect upon the extent of our loss. The memory 
of the past was recalled; those incidents which 
made him dear to private friendship, those great 
events which made him an object of public 
consideration, rushed upon our recollection. If 
it be true, as is often said, that sorrows are les- 
sened by being divided, you will derive consola- 
tion from the fact that a whole nation mourns 
with you, that numerous friends in every part of 
this extensive country deeply sympathize in your 
sorrows. The Almighty hand which chastises can 
console; and in your case, I sincerely hope the 
ministration of comfort from that source may 
equal the severity of the affliction." 

As the years passed on friends spoke often of 
her husband, and his memory being thus contin- 
ually recalled in words, the feeling of unbroken 
association with him unconsciously grew. This 
feeling was increased whenever she entered the 
room he had used as an office, where his books 
and writing materials were lying just as he had 



154 



THE NASHVILLE HOME. 



left them, and appeared to await his return at any 
moment. And when the monument in the east 
grounds of Polk Place was finished, and the 
remains were placed in the vault beneath, the 
lonely heart was cheered by the thought that he 
was again near her, and that from her chamber 
window she could always see his resting-place. On 
the 22d of May, 1850, the remains were removed 
from the city cemetery with impressive ceremonies. 
Among the ministers present was Bishop Otey, 
and beside him stood Dr. McFerrin, who offered 
prayer. 

The monument was built by the direction of 
Mr. Polk, and was designed by William Strickland, 
the architect of the Capitol of Tennessee. It is a 
small, square, open temple, with plain columns at 
each corner, on whose slightly ornamented capitals 
rests an entablature, impressive by the absence of 
adornment. On the east front is graven, " James 
Knox Polk, Tenth President of the United States. 
Born November 2, 1795; Died June 15, 1849."^ 



1 At that time it was a disputed point wlietTier Mr. Tyler's 
administration as President was to be counted as one with that of 
General Harrison, or whether each was to be considered a separate 
Presidential term. General Harrison lived only one month after 
his inauguration, and Mr. Tyler was the first Vice President whose 
lot it was to occupy the chair of the Chief Executive. The author 
of the inscription believed that only one term was to be credited 



TTJE NASHF/LLE HOME. 155 

A few steps on the west side lead up to the 
pavement of the temple, in the centre of which 
rises a tomb three or four feet high, bearing 
on the east side an inscription in black letters : 
"The mortal remains of James Knox Polk arc 
resting in the Vault beneath. He was born in 
Mecklenburg County, North Carolina, and emi- 
grated with his father, Samuel Polk, to Tennessee, 
in 1806. The beauty of virtue was illustrated in 
his life ; the excellence of Christianity was exem- 
plified in his death." On the north side are the 
words : " His life was devoted to the public service. 
He was elected successively to the first places in 
the State and Federal Governments, — a member 
of the General Assembly, a member of Congress 
and Chairman of the most important Congres- 
sional Committees, Speaker of the House of 
Representatives, Governor of Tennessee, Presi- 
dent of the United States." On the south face 
of the tomb is the following: "By his public 
policy he defined, established, and extended the 
boundaries of his country. He planted the laws 
of the American Union on the shores of the Pacific. 
His influence and his counsels tended to organize 
the national treasury on the principles of the 

to Harrison and Tyler, and so made Mr. Polk the tenth President. 
That opinion has since been reversed. 



156 THE NASHVILLE HOME. 

Constitution, and to apply the rule of freedom to 
navigation, trade, and industry." 

This epitaph was prepared by the Hon. A. O. 
P. Nicholson. A part of it was taken from the 
official announcement of Mr. Polk's death made 
to the Court of England by George Bancroft, the 
resident American Minister. 

The fourth side of the tomb was left blank for 
the epitaph of Mrs. Polk, for whose remains a place 
had been reserved in the vault below. 

Mr. Polk's last will and testament gave to his 
wife everything he possessed except Polk Place, 
which was devised to her for life. Near the close of 
the instrument, he makes this tender mention of 
her: "I have entire confidence that my beloved 
wife, Sarah Polk, who has been constantly identified 
with me in all her sympathies and affections, through 
all the vicissitudes of my public and private life, for 
more than twenty-five years, and who by her pru- 
dence, care, and economy, has aided and assisted 
me in acquiring and preserving the property 
which I own, will at her death make a proper 
and just disposition of what property she may then 
possess." 

Mrs. Polk was named in the will as executrix, 
without bond ; and Judge John Catron and Major 
Daniel Graham, executors, clearly with the view 



THE NASHVILLE HOME. j^^ 

of her thus obtaining the benefit of their advice 
These two friends, with Col. V. K. Stevenson and 
Mr. John B. Johnson, true to the wife as they 
had been to the husband, attended to her business 
affairs. 



THE CHANGED LIFE. 



CHAPTER X. 

1 849-1 860. 

ly/TRS. POLK'S mother, a remarkably sensible 
and kind-hearted woman, deeply realized 
the loneliness of her daughter in her widowhood. 
The eldest son of Mrs. Childress, and also his wife, 
had died many years before, leaving one little girl, 
whom the affectionate grandmother had taken and 
reared as her own child. In the course of time this 
little girl became Mrs. Jetton ; and when she died, 
several years afterward, Mrs. Childress took the 
youngest child, a daughter, to care for as she had 
cared for the mother. This little great-granddaugh- 
ter, Sarah Polk Jetton, Mrs. Childress brought to 
Nashville, and committed her to the care of Mrs. Polk, 
in the hope that the sunny presence of childhood 
might enliven the then desolate home. Mrs. Polk 
gratefully accepted the kindness of her mother, and 
the more gladly as she could thus fulfil the dying 
request of her niece, that she would interest herself 
particularly in the welfare of the child. " Judge 
Catron was well acquainted with my tastes," said 



1 62 THE CHANGED LIFE. 

Mrs. Polk, " and once said to me, ' You are not the 
one, Madame, to have the charge of a Httle child ; 
you, who have always been absorbed in political and 
social affairs.' But," she continued, " Sallie had a 
good nurse who took excellent care of her, and I 
have never regretted her coming." It is difficult to 
imagine how one might have been affected by cir- 
cumstances that did not occur. However it might 
have fared with her, living uncheered by the devo- 
tion of any near and beloved one, certain it is that 
the little niece brought a new light and life into 
the echoing halls and stately parlors of the now 
quiet mansion. 

As the years went by, Mrs. Polk was interested 
and diverted with her niece's studies and experiences 
at school ; with the visits of her youthful compan- 
ions, and the gayeties of her young womanhood. 
Miss Sallie Polk, as she was familiarly known, sub- 
sequently married a young merchant of Nashville, 
Mr. George William Fall, whose family came of 
good old English stock. He did not take his bride 
from the home she had so long known and loved, 
and Polk Place received a new element of brightness 
in the presence of a business man with his breezy 
touch of out-door life. Soon a little daughter, 
Saidee Polk, filled the house with the gladness and 
cheer of childhood and youth. 



THE CHANGED LIFE. 163 

The Rev. Dr. Edgar, pastor of the First Pres- 
byterian Church, was desirous that Mrs. Polk 
should remove her membership from Columbia to 
the church at Nashville. He was a man of high 
character and excellent judgment, and felt that such 
a change would add to her comfort. Whenever he 
spoke to her concerning such a change, she would 
pleasantly reply, " Dr. Edgar, I do not wish my 
name to be read out in church, in a certificate of 
good standing." It was customary to call letters of 
dismission, transferring membership from one church 
to another, " certificates of good standing." Soon 
afterward the Presbyterian Church in Columbia was 
burned, and then Dr. Edgar playfully remarked, 
"Now, Madame, you will be obliged to join us, 
because the list of members in your church was 
burned, and in restoring" the list from memory your 
name was left out, and now you do not belong any- 
where." Shortly after, she removed her member- 
ship to Nashville, where she remained ever afterward 
a faithful communicant. 

It was customary for the members of the State 
General Assembly to call in a body upon the widow 
of the ex-President on New Year's Day. The time 
of this visit was subsequently changed by a joint 
resolution of the two Houses, to " any suitable day 
during the session." The military companies and 



1 64 THE CHANGED LIFE. 

Other organizations of the city, and all bodies con- 
vening here, religious, educational, political ; the 
Grand Lodges of Masons, Odd Fellows, and 
Knights of Pythias, — all made it an order of business, 
or rather of privilege, to visit the tomb of the ex- 
President, and to pay their respects to his widow. 
The firemen in their annual parades marched by 
Polk Place, as did all other civic and military pro- 
cessions, with uncovered heads. Sometimes the 
military companies paused to salute, which was 
always pleasantly acknowledged by the recipient, 
who with her friends came down to the gate to 
watch the procession. 

In the summer of 1859 a member of the Chatham 
Artillery, then commanded by Captain Claghorn, 
wrote to the " Savannah Republican " an account of 
their reception in Nashville. After speaking of the 
cordial greeting given them by the crowds of citi- 
zens, the local military organizations, and the cadets 
from the Military Institute, and of the address of 
welcome by the mayor of the city, and of the visit 
to the Capitol, where from the western front a salute 
of thirty-three guns was fired, — he says: "Return- 
ing from the hill to our hotel, we passed the residence 
of Mrs. James K. Polk. In the flower-garden in 
front of the house, rises a monument erected over 
the remains and to the memory of her patriotic 



THE CHANGED LIFE. jgr 

husband, who died ten years ago to-day. As we 
marched by, a feeling of sadness seemed to over- 
come the whole corps, and as we came to present 
arms, we knew that we were paying but a small token 
of the respect we felt to the memory of one who 
once occupied so elevated a position." 

Bishop Green, of Mississippi, was a college-mate 
of Mr. Polk's, as was also Bishop Otey, of Tennessee. 
Once when in attendance upon a convention of the 
Episcopal Church in Nashville, they came with 
several of their friends to visit Mrs. Polk. Dur- 
ing the conversation she said to Bishop Green, 
"Were not you and Mr. Polk rivals?" With a 
low bow he replied, " Madame, your husband had 
no rival." " That was a handsome answer," she 
remarked in recounting this incident. " Some per- 
sons would have said, ' Yes, he excelled in this, and 
I excelled in that,' trying to make out a good case 
for themselves, and showing in what studies each 
deserved credit. Not so Bishop Green. Mr. Polk 
won the highest honors and the bishop was second." 

Having long been identified with the life and 
progress of the country, Mrs. Polk was fully pre- 
pared to appreciate the labor of all those who gave 
themselves to historical studies. The patient col- 
lectors of facts and incidents, of relics and other 
articles that illustrate the past to future generations. 



1 66 THE CHANGED LIFE. 

always won her appreciation. To the Tennessee 
Historical Society she gave several objects worthy 
of preservation. Among them a medallion likeness 
of President Polk; a blue pitcher used in the Indian 
Council convened at Hopewell in 1785, which was 
called the pitcher of the chief, and originally be- 
longed to Oken-Shan-Tah, the great king of the 
Cherokees ; and also an Indian pipe and ornaments, 
which had been presented to President Polk by 
Wee-no-shick, head chief of the Winnebagoes. 
To these were added the following articles: "The 
Four Gospels in Choctaw," by Rev. Cyrus Brying- 
ton, 1845 ; a piece of live oak from the old ship 
Constitution, carved in the form of a book; a 
hickory cane, presented to President Polk by the 
" Castile Hickory Club," New York ; and a medallion 
likeness of Louis Philippe, 1846. 



DURING THE CIVIL WAR. 



CHAPTER XI. 

1 860- 1 865. 

OAD and disastrous, the air full of farewells to 
*^ the dying and mournings for the dead, the 
Civil War, in its disappointments and terrors, proved 
to Mrs. Polk the wisdom of Providence that had re- 
moved her husband from participation in its direful 
scenes. He was relieved from the necessity of de- 
ciding between the two parts of his country, — as 
painful a necessity as that of deciding between two 
children, with one of whom he must go, and to the 
other he must become an alien. This inexorable 
necessity filled with agony many a public servant 
whose life service had been given to the Republic 
of Liberty, and whose success and happiness had 
been identified with that of the whole United States. 
Mr. Polk was naturally a Union man, having devoted 
himself to the advancement of the whole country 
over whose government he had presided. But it 
would have caused him unspeakable distress to take 
sides aeainst his beloved home. Or if he had cast 



I70 



DURING THE CIVIL WAR. 



his lot with his own State, painful in the extreme it 
would have been to him to see riven asunder the 
country in whose service he had worn himself out. 
In either case, he would have been misunderstood, 
and possibly maligned, and would surely have drunk 
a bitter cup of sorrow. SJie saw that it was better 
as it was. 

When the Federal army was approaching to take 
possession of Nashville, some of her near relatives 
living in Murfreesborough, fearing for her welfare, 
were urgent that she should go south. They felt 
that it was not proper for an unprotected woman to 
remain in a city invaded by a victorious army, and 
to incur the risks which, to the alarmed and excited 
imaginations of the people, seemed indeed frightful. 
They also thought that she was in danger of having 
her house seized by the military commanders, and 
of being compelled to leave her chosen retreat. She 
told them that she was at home, and intended to 
stay at home, and that if her house should be blown 
up or burned up, she would pitch a tent on the 
lawn beside Mr. Polk's tomb, and stay there. In 
this determination, she was guided by the wisdom 
of Providence. The officers stationed in the city 
treated her with the r.tmost deference. The Con- 
federate commanders who were in NashviTle before 
its occupation by their opponents, and the Federal 



DURING THE CIVIL WAR. 171 

generals afterward were alike in their respectful 
kindness and manner toward her. This was not 
solely attributable to the universal esteem in which 
she was held, but arose in a great measure from the 
strong common-sense and fine tact she always dis- 
played. In asking for passes or other favors, she 
never demanded them as a right, but said, " If I 
have asked for anything which it would be incon- 
sistent or improper to grant, of course I will not 
expect to receive it." Her requests were cour- 
teously accorded. When her mother was taken ill, 
an officer, with a guard and ambulance, was detailed 
to take her to Murfreesborough. The only instance 
of her travelling on Sunday was when a special train 
was to come on that day from Murfreesborough to 
Nashville, and she accepted the invitation to return 
with it because of the uncertainty and irregularity 
attending the running of trains. Several officers 
stationed at Murfreesborough subsequently took 
upon themselves the kind duty of acquainting her 
from time to time with the state of her mother's 
health. 

Judge John M. Lea was one of the committee 
appointed, with the mayor, to meet the Federal 
army on its entrance into the city. He asked Mrs. 
Polk, " What shall I say to General Buell for you?" 
" Tell him I am at home," was the reply. This was 



1^2 DURING THE CIVIL WAR. 

said cheerily, in the effort to look at the matter in 
the brightest light, and seemed to be the best, and 
indeed the only thing she could say, inasmuch as 
nothing that anybody said could in any way alter 
the state of affairs. A few days after his arrival, 
General Buell, as the commander-in-chief of the 
Federal army, sent a note requesting permission to 
call with some friends and pay his respects to the 
widow of an ex-President of the United States. She 
replied in writing that she would see him and his 
friends the next morning at elev^en o'clock. At the 
hour appointed, the general came with several of 
his staff-officers, and nearly every commanding gen- 
eral in and around the city, eighteen or twenty in 
number. She had invited a few neighbors to assist 
in entertaining her visitors, and the interview of an 
hour was courteous and pleasant on both sides. 
Upon retiring, the officers expressed their gratifica- 
tion at their kind reception. Elias, the negro man 
who had waited on President Polk at the White 
House, was standing at the steps, below the portico, 
when they took their leave, bowing with uncovered 
head as had been his custom in the old days in 
Washington. One of the generals, as he passed 
out, said, " Well, my colored friend, what do you 
think of the situation?" "I'm for the rights of 
the South in the territories," promptly replied Elias. 



DURING THE CIVIL WAR. 



^11 



This unexpected answer raised the hearty laughter 
of the whole party as they went down the gravel 
walk, and one of them said, " You 'd better not ask 
another darkey his political opinions in this section 
of the country." 

All the commanding officers at different times 
stationed in Nashville also called to honor the 
memory of a former Chief Executive, and show 
their respectful regard for his widow. Among 
these were Generals Thomas, Grant, and others. 
On one occasion, when Mrs. Polk entered the 
parlor to receive General Sherman, he remarked 
that he had been looking at President Polk's In- 
augural Address, which not only contained expres- 
sions of attachment and loyalty to the Union, but 
also affirmed that it should be preserved forever 
indissoluble. " Those are good sentiments, sir," 
was her reply. General Sherman asked her, " If 
you were now to visit Washington, Madame, where 
would you go first?" The reply, which came in- 
stantly, seemed to surprise him. " I would go to 
the White House, sir, to call on the President." 
Aware of the intensity of public feeling, he possi- 
bly thought that the Southern woman before him 
would express an aversion for Mr. Lincoln and 
everything pertaining to the Federal Union. She 
was indeed truly devoted to her own land and 



1/4 DURING THE CIVIL WAR. 

people, but the principles of truth and honor 
which she held preserved her from bigotry and 
partisanship. 

One day an officer came to see her whose grand- 
father she had known as a member of Congress. 
In speaking of her patriotism she said to him that 
she felt an attachment for the United States which 
was but natural in one who had been identified with 
one of its Chief Magistrates, and who had regarded 
the whole, and not a section of it, as her native 
land, " But how do you think I felt when the bat- 
tle raged near Murfreesbo rough, my native home?" 

" Madame, if you had not then felt as a Southern 
woman would feel whose home was invaded, I could 
not have come to see you." 

An interesting visitor came one morning, in the 
person of General Lytle, the author of that touch- 
ing poem, " I am dying, Egypt, dying." The 
servants chanced to be out of the way, and the 
lady went herself to the door. When he saw her 
approaching, he exclaimed, " Mrs. Polk ! " and 
stepping back a few paces, he took off the cloak 
hanging around his shoulders, and putting it over 
his arm, bowed in the most courtly manner while 
introducing himself. When they were seated he 
told her that though she did not know him, he had 
had the pleasure of seeing her. His father had 



DURING THE CIVIL WAR. jyc 

been a member of Congress, and had boarded in 
the house with Mr. and Mrs. Polk in Washington ; 
and on one of their journeys, as they passed 
through Cincinnati, his father's carriage was sent 
for them, and he, a httle boy, took dehght in sit- 
ting beside the driver and getting down to open the 
door for the distinguished guests, who had no idea 
who he was. 

A short distance south of Nashville was Belmont, 
the beautiful country home of Mrs. J. A. S. Acklen, 
afterward Mrs. Dr. W. A. Cheatham. Her hus- 
band was then absent, attending to their plantations 
in Louisiana. Her house was partly occupied by 
army officers, who advised her, in preparation for 
a battle soon to take place in the neighborhood, to 
put her valuables in some place of safe keeping. A 
large number of portraits and other fine paintings, 
with boxes of silver, jewelry, and diamonds, were 
sent to Mrs. Polk with the request that she would 
take charge of them. The Tennessee Historical 
Society also made Mrs. Polk the custodian of some 
of its possessions. The soldier who had brought 
Mrs. Acklen's valuables, asked if Mrs. Polk would 
like to have a guard ; to which she replied, " Oh, 
no." Her character was her citadel, and she needed 
no defence of armed men. In those trying times, 
she seemed equal to every occasion ; and this signal 



1/6 DURING THE CIVIL WAR. 

power she ascribed to that Divine protection which 
had kept her safely day by day. She often said 
that she could not be grateful enough for the guid- 
ance which had led her through life, giving her 
every comfort and advantage. And, certainly, not 
the least of her blessings was this thankful appre- 
ciation of the Divine goodness. 

The results of the war left her in altered circum- 
stances, for her financial losses were heavy. Her 
slaves were freed, her cotton destroyed by fire, 
and her plantation in Mississippi much depreciated 
in value. So great was the difficulty of making the 
cultivation profitable, that she disposed of it, — at 
first selling a part, and subsequently the remainder 
of the estate. The affairs of the plantation were 
honorably and satisfactorily wound up by Judge 
Avent, the husband of Mary Childress, her niece. 

When the war was over, and the legislature again 
met, the customary call at Polk Place was revived. 
Col. Bailie Peyton, of the committee appointed to 
inform Mrs. Polk of the proposed visit, wrote her 
a note, from which the following sentences are 
taken : — 

" The General Assembly is mainly composed of 
those who well remember your association with 
the distinguished personages of a past generation. 
How nobly you bore your part is attested by the 



DURING THE CIVIL WAR. 



177 



unanimous voice of all. We would not recall the 
events of the last few years, but it is impossible that 
we could be insensible to those incidents, which 
history will preserve, when, as we trust, the calami- 
ties of that period are remembered no more. You 
were in the line of the advancing and receding 
hosts, in the very gulf-stream of the war, but the 
mad passions engendered by the conflict were ever 
calmed in the presence of your abode. Without 
reference to the flag he followed, each subaltern 
and superior regarded your feelings as sacred, and 
his good sword as pledged no less to your defence 
than to the cause in which he drew it. Candor, 
Madame, compels us to say that we cannot dissever 
our veneration and regard for yourself from the 
grateful recollections we cherish for the memory 
of your distinguished husband. That spot which 
holds his remains, that tomb which is watched by 
such devoted affection, must be sacred in our eyes; 
it will be doubly so to posterity at a time, far off, 
as we trust, in the distant future, when your ashes 
shall mingle with his." 



YEARS OF GRACIOUS HOSPI- 
TALITY. 



CHAPTER XII. 
1865-1884. 

A S in ante-bellum days, so after the war, various 
-^^- organized bodies, local and visiting, made it 
a point to call on the lady at Polk Place. She was 
assisted in these receptions by her niece, Mrs. Fall, 
and other ladiss, and a few gentlemen. An address 
was usually made by some one of the visitors on 
behalf of the body represented, and a reply on be- 
half of the honored lady, by some one of the home 
guests. 

On one occasion, during a visit of the General As- 
sembly, Senator Gibson said, " Mrs. Polk, allow me 
to propose an impromptu toast to our country, to 
George Washington who did more than any other 
man to establish it, and to James K. Polk who did 
more than any other man to enlarge it." The 
venerable representative from Madison, Robert I. 
Chester, then moved that " this House do now ad- 
journ until ten o'clock to-morrow," which was re- 
ceived with laughter, and all retired highly pleased. 



I 82 YEARS OF GRACIOUS HOSPITALITY. 

Some years afterward Mrs. Polk gave to Colonel 
Chester the heavy walking cane presented to her 
husband in 1846 by Mr. Joseph Hall, a member of 
Congress from Maine, which had been cut from the 
live-oak timber of that stout and famous old vessel, 
" Ironsides." 

In December, 1884, Colonel Chester was the bearer 
of the electoral vote of Tennessee to the National 
Senate, and as his ninety-first birthday occurred the 
July previous, his long journey and important mis- 
sion made him an object of much attention. Fin- 
ishing his patriotic business in Washington, he went 
to Albany to visit President-elect Cleveland. As he 
passed through Nashville on his return home, he 
told Mrs. Polk that he had carried the cane she 
gave him, and that it had everywhere introduced 
him to the best people. 

At a council of the Teachers' National Associa- 
tion, held in Nashville, General Eaton offered a 
resolution, " that this body call at the residence of 
Mrs. President Polk in recognition of the eminent 
position to which her late husband and companion 
in life was called, as well as out of respect to her 
womanly qualities." Ex-Governor Foote of Mis- 
sissippi said: " Nothing could be more proper and 
becoming, in my judgment, than that this learned 
and truly National Association should call upon this 



YEARS OF GRACIOUS HOSPITALITY. 183 

noble lady. In approaching the abode where she 
has so long resided in quiet dignity, you will pass 
in sight of her husband's tomb. Twenty years ago 
I was appointed to deliver the funeral oration in 
honor of Mr. Polk in the capital of the nation, a 
task painful yet pleasing. So now, it will afford 
me gratification to have the honor of introducing 
you, sir, and your associates to Mrs. Polk ; but 
while doing so I shall feel, as I never fail to do 
when I behold her, a natural regret that so much 
excellence, displayed alike in peace and amid the 
troubled scenes of war, in high public position, and 
amid the endearments of domestic privacy, must in 
a few years more be compelled to bid adieu to earth 
and its transitory scenes of fancied glory." 

Mrs. Polk received many pressing invitations to 
visit the Centennial Exposition of our national in- 
dependence at Philadelphia. Colonel Scott, Presi- 
dent of the Pennsylvania Railroad, offered to place 
a palace car at her disposal during her stay. At 
the same time Colonel Forney, of that city, sent her 
an urgent request to become his guest. The invi- 
tation was sent by Colonel Forney through General 
Pennypacker of the regular army, then on duty 
in Nashville. Her friends were desirous that she 
should accept the courteous generosity of Colonel 
Scott and others, and make a journey which 



1 84 YEAKS OF GRACIOUS HOSPITALITY. 

seemed to promise so much enjoyment, but she 
could not be persuaded to leave her home. She 
had been earnestly requested by different Presi- 
dents, to spend some time in the Executive Man- 
. sion. President Johnson, especially, had sent her a 
cordial invitation to visit the White House, and 
meet the friends of former times, and see the 
changes that had been wrought in her old home. 
All these proposals she declined. With the excep- 
tion of brief visits, made at long intervals, to her 
mother at Murfreesborough, she remained continu- 
ously in the beloved home chosen and prepared for 
her by her husband. Her mother died during the 
war, at the age of eighty-two, and after that event 
nothing could tempt her from Polk Place. Here 
she found ample occupation, and felt no need of 
seeking satisfaction elsewhere. The family circle 
was complete with her niece and nephew and their 
daughter. There were many friends who kept her 
in full sympathy with the life in the city beyond 
her own doors. She did not return visits ; and 
went only to church, where her place was always 
filled when the weather and her health permitted. 
Many old acquaintances passing through Nashville 
came to renew former associations ; and strangers 
of all classes constantly called to pay their respects 
to her. They found her alive to the stirring ques- 



YEAJiS OF GRACIOUS HOSPITALITY. 185 

tions of the day, not clinging, as they might have 
supposed, to the dead issues of the far-off past when 
she Hved in the midst of the activities of the nation. 
She was abreast with the news of the hour, familiar 
with the names of pubhc men and the discussion of 
pubHc measures, and interested in the drift of pub- 
lic sentiment and the ever-changing condition of 
affairs. Remembering the great men and the im- 
portant events of a former generation, she was 
keenly observant of the men and the movements 
of the present time. 

In August, 1877, the American Association for 
the Advancement of Science met in the Capitol at 
Nashville in their twenty-sixth annual session. On 
the second day Professor Simon Nevvcomb, the 
President, made the following announcement: " The 
city of Nashville rejoices in something which here- 
tofore we have been accustomed to associate only 
with the ancient world. At this shrine all visitors 
are expected to worship. In accordance with this 
custom, which I am sure every one present will 
recognize as becoming and appropriate, the Asso- 
ciation will to-day, at the close of sectional business, 
proceed to pay their respects to Mrs. Polk, relict of 
the late President Polk." 

Being ushered, at one o'clock, into the large 
parlor where, with a few friends, Mrs. Polk was 



1 86 YEARS OF GRACIOUS HOSPITALITY. 

waiting to receive them, President Newcomb said: 
" Mrs. Polk, we appear before you as students of 
Nature in all her i<ingdoms, the humble disciples 
of a school of teachers whose instructions have rev- 
olutionized society, and whose discoveries have 
enriched the world. We come as pilgrims of an- 
cient Greece came to the Temple of Diana, to do 
homage at your shrine. If the customs of the 
world had not changed, our fatted lamb would be 
sacrificed on your altar, and the smoke of our in- 
cense would perfume the air of your dwelling. By 
an expression of our sentiments more modern in its 
character, we assure you of our respectful regard 
for the consort of one who has filled the highest 
position in our land, and who, by the elevation of 
her character, commands the esteem of every citi- 
zen of her country. We pray, honored Madame, 
that Providence may preserve your life and health 
through years to come ; and that you may long 
rejoice in the place you hold in the hearts of your 
countrymen." 

A fitting response was made by Dr. John Berrien 
Lindsley, secretary of the local committee. 

The following month the National Association of 
Fire Engineers, representing twenty-one States, met 
here ; and the next afternoon they went in proces- 
sion from the Capitol to Polk Place, headed by 



YEARS OF GRACIOUS HOSPITALITY. 1S7 

their president, Capt. William Stockell. Mrs. Polk 
said, in her quiet manner, that the visit of the Fire 
Chiefs gave her much pleasure. " You, gentlemen, 
are the protectors of the lives and property of the 
people of this country. I thank you, one and all." 
Several spirited songs added to the enjoyment of 
all present. In the evening a banquet was given 
at the Maxwell House, by the Board of Under- 
writers, and among other decorations of the din- 
ing-hall was the flag presented to the old volunteer 
company, No. 4, by President Polk, of which com- 
pany he was an honorary member. 

President Hayes and Mrs. Hayes visited Mrs. 
Polk during their southern tour in the autumn of 
1877. They were accompanied by Secretary 
Evarts and his two daughters, and also by Col. 
Wade Hampton, and Postmaster-General Key. 
Mrs. Polk thought Mrs. Hayes a charming woman. 
A reception was given to the presidential party by 
Col. E. W. Cole and his wife at their residence, but 
in accordance with her long-settled habit of refus- 
ing all invitations, the lady of Polk Place was not 
present. 

During a call made by General Sam F. Gary, 
when he came to Nashville to deliver two public 
addresses, she said to him, "Judge Hoadley of 
your city, and the great lawyer, Charles O'Conor, 
called on me recently. Mr. O'Conor is, like my- 



1 88 YEAKS OF GRACIOUS HOSPITALITY. 

self, getting along in years, and his hair is snow- 
white. We had a good talk of Washington life 
away back in the forties when Mr. Polk was Presi- 
dent. He told me of his exalted opinion of himself 
■ arid his exquisite sensations of distinction and pleas- 
ure when he was invited to a public dinner at the 
White House. He asked me if I remembered the 
occasion. I regretted that in such a multitude of 
dinners and social amenities I could not recall the 
instance. Mr. O'Conor reminded me of it by say- 
ing: 'Why, Mrs. Polk, you and I were young and 
jovial then, and I remember it as distinctly as if it 
were but yesterday ; and you were so gracious to us 
all.' His memory was tenacious and enthusiastic, 
and I was pleased ; but recollection of that particu- 
lar event was effaced by time." 

In the spring of 1880 occurred the centennial of 
lie city of Nashville. The celebration began on 
the hundredth anniversary of the day on which 
the settlers of Nashborough on the Cumberland 
River entered into " a compact for their self-gov- 
ernment and protection." The military, with music 
and banners, quaintly uniformed soldiers of a cen- 
tury past, and companies in the more familiar mar- 
tial array of the present, display-wagons, trades- 
unions, societies, and orders, with citizens on foot 
and in carriages, made a long and imposing proces- 
sion winding through the city. Multitudes thronged 



YEARS OF GRACIOUS HOSPITALITY. 189 

the Capitol grounds, where the bronze statue of 
Jackson was to be unveiled. After the manner of 
Nashville processions, the ex-President's home and 
tomb lay in the line of march. Mrs. Polk was at 
the Vine Street gate, and around her were gathered 
the youths and maidens of the Grammar Depart- 
ment of the public schools. As the procession was 
approaching, the fresh, sweet voices of the girls and 
boys, led by their singing-master, struck up the 
stirring air of a Centennial Hymn. The following 
are two of the stanzas : — 

"The light of vanished days returns 

To shine once more in Nashville's sky, 

And with the added glory burns 
Of all the hundred years gone by. 

And lo, this motto — like the sign 

That beamed from heaven on Constantine — 
These mystic rays from other days 

Emblazon on each grateful heart, 

With more than mortal power or art, 
' Give God the praise .' ' 

"The air is full of whisperings weird, 

The echoes of a hundred years. 
The wild war-whoop that brave men feared 

Comes, dulled by distance, to our ears ; 
Then sounds of busy life and trade, 
When here sweet Peace her dwelling made; 

Then waves of song re-echo long 
A people's grateful thanks to Him 
Who led them from the forest dim, 
And made them strong." 



1 90 YEARS OF GRACIOUS I/OSPITALITY. 

On one of Senator Bayard's visits to Nashville 
his daughters were with him, and when they called 
to see Mrs. Polk, Senator Gorman of Maryland, 
who came with them, remarked to her: "You do 
not remember me, Madame, but I remember 
you perfectly. I have opened the door for you 
many a time when I was a page at the Capitol in 
Washington." 

The Rev. Dr. Peschau, a former pastor of the 
German Lutheran Church in Nashville, and an 
enthusiastic member of the Tennessee Historical 
Society, after removing to Wilmington, North 
Carolina, wrote a letter from which the following 
passage is taken: — 

"Dear and highly esteemed Mrs. Polk: 
Greetings in the name of our dear Lord Jesus 
Christ ! . . . Last week I spent a few days in Charles- 
ton, to attend the annual convention of the Lu- 
theran Synod of South Carolina. It was my good 
fortune to be assigned to the house of William Kirk- 
wood, Esq., a venerable man, eighty-four years of 
age. How well he remembers Mr. Polk's visit to the 
city on his return from Washington, It so happened 
that Mr. Polk was compelled to wait almost an hour 
directly in front of Mr. Kirkwood's house and un- 
der his shade trees, until the military which had 



YEARS OF GRACIOUS IIOSriTALITY. 191 

come to escort him and a part of his cabinet to the 
Charleston Hotel had formed in line. The ladies, 
seeing this, gathered upon the piazza in the second 
story and fairly showered flowers upon him and his 
carriage. Mr. Polk thereupon turned and acknowl- 
edged the compliment by removing his hat and 
bowing to them, a recognition they did not expect, 
and which pleased them all the more. The ladies 
present on that occasion have often spoken of this 
incident, and Mr. Kirkwood was delighted to tell 
me of it, as one who knew you and had visited 
the resting-place of Mr. Polk. The few ladies of 
that crowd now living would take pleasure in 
strewing flowers on Mr. Polk's grave, if they were 
near it." 

Soon afterward Dr. Peschau delivered an address 
before the Historical and Scientific Society of North 
Carolina, having for his subject the lady whom he 
so much admired. A short extract from this ad- 
dress is appended : — 

" Mrs. Polk enters, a tall, stately, graceful lady. 
With beaming countenance and dignified manner, 
she gives us a welcome that is so difl"erent from the 
stiff, studied superiority of some would-be-great- 
ones, that we are at a disadvantage and she must 
come to our rescue, and she does. Such a clear 



192 YEAJ^S OF GRACIOUS HOSPITALITY. 

J mind, such choice, chaste language; the rapid flow 
of thought, the vivacity of expression; her anima- 
tion throughout; the quick wit; the rapid compre- 
hending of what is said, and the ready answer, — all 
interest us, charm us. Her knowledge of the times, 
her recollections of the past, how accurate ! You 
are in the presence of a remarkable woman. You 
leave with reluctance. You feel you have found a 
true woman. Your heart will praise if your lips do 
not. You remember your visits, and so does she. 
She oft-times asked us as to the welfare of those 
who had previously called, and sometimes even 
recalled their names and some of their remarks. 
She is not like the flippant conversationalists often 
found, but sensible, thoughtful, intelligent. She does 
not rest in being admired, or seek to court and call 
forth your studied compliments, but loses herself in 
her admiration of all that Mr. Polk did that was noble. 
It was, in our opinion, a wise Providence that per- 
mitted him to die, and her to live. We believe this 
view will become the verdict of unprejudiced history. 
When Presidents settle down in private life the 
public forgets them. So it would have been with 
Mr. Polk. In a hundred ways his reputation could 
be better kept by his wife than by himself. In hon- 
oring him, it was her heart's unselfish, holy devotion, 
and love's work, and no one would censure her for 



YEARS OF GRACIOUS HOSPITALITY. 193 

that. The various elements of her well-rounded 
character have led or helped to lead to the laying 
of a thousand wreaths of praise on the grave of 
Polk. She outlived whatever animosities, mistakes, 
or failures he may have caused or made politically, 
and her own good name has given lustre to the 
name of her noble, dead husband, whose life in so 
many respects was a model, and who lived and died 
a good man. Aback of all the public manifestations 
of her excellent character, we find that all their 
motive powers centre in a Christian heart. In our 
last interview, she spoke of her anticipated depart- 
ure, as only a Christian can speak of death, and 
amid the quotation of Scripture verses, and the 
expression of Christian sentiments, she uttered the 
following, which we have used as the basis of a few 
lines in poetical form : ' Yes, Dr. Peschau, I 'm 
growing old, I grow old willingly; I grow old not 
unwillingly.' 

" And now, Mr. President, I will close with the 
lines, — 

" The deepenino; shades, the fading light, 
The chilling air, proclaim death's night; 
But through the gloom light streams to me, 
And I grow old quite willingly. 

Chof us : I 'm growing old quite willingly, 

Heaven beckons me to rest so free. 
Hence I grow old quite willingly. 

13 



194 YEARS OF GRACIOUS HOSPITALITY. 

" Fair memory weaves its wreaths of gold 
Around the days, the times of old, 
And brings glad childhood back to me, 
Still 1 grow old quite willingly. 

" A nation paved the years with flowers, 
And golden made, with praise, the hours ; 
But honors great no more charm me, 
I 'd rather grow old willingly. 

" My strength now wanes, my step grows slow, 
But love for rest and Heaven doth grow ; 
I scarce can wait ; do not blame me 
For growing old so willingly. 

" Soon 'twill be o'er, life's race be run, 
My duties all and work be done; 
Near him I love I long to be, 
And grow old now quite willingly. 

" Willing to live, willing to die, 
I wait my time from earth to fly, — 
With God and friends in Heaven to be ; 
This helps me grow old willingly." 



To these verses Dr. Peschau composed a simple 
air, which is cheerful with an undertone of sadness. 
The song is dedicated "to Mrs. James K. Polk, a 
nation's favorite." She remembered the conversa- 
tion which suggested the song. When she remarked 
that she was growing old cheerfully, that she was 
willing to be old, he looked at her intently, as if 
impressed by her words, and said, " Mrs. Polk, that 
is the poetry of life." 



YEARS OF GRACIOUS HOSPITALITY. 195 

She often earnestly expressed the conviction that 
God was taking care of her, and leading her gently 
down the slopes of old age. She was full of thank- 
fulness to the gracious Providence that had given 
her so many comforts and joys, and in the midst of 
attentions and adulations sufificient to turn her head, 
she never forgot that all her favors came from 
above. Fond of social pleasures, she had always 
been, mindful of the Divine hand by which she was 
upheld, and was ready at any moment, to sing from 
the depths of her heart, the old line, " Praise God 
from whom all blessings flow." This spirit made 
her so cheerful that no one ever grew sad in her pres- 
ence. " Why should I feel sad," she said, " when I 
have been blessed with so happy a life? I am ready 
to go, and I am willing to stay." 

She outlived nearly all her contemporaries. 
Being asked, on one occasion, if there were many 
men then living who were in public life when she 
was in Washington, she replied, " No, very few. 
There is Gen. Simon Cameron, though. How well 
I remember him ! He came to see me only a feu- 
years ago. Seeing him was like being carried back 
to the happiest years of my life, and beyond the 
few clouds that have come between me and the 
sunlight, since I left Washington. What a bright, 
cheerful man Mr. Cameron is. If I were a man I 



196 YEARS OF GRACIOUS HOSPITALITY. 

should want to be just as brisk and happy at eighty 
as he is. He will never grow old. I always had a 
great regard for him. It is a wonder how he retains 
his health and great political power," 

The following pen-portrait is from a correspondent 
of the " Cincinnati Enquirer: " — 

" It is comparatively easy to describe the bloom and 
brilliancy of youth, but to draw with a true touch the pecu- 
liar loveliness of old age is a far more difficult task. A 
woman like Mrs. Polk is a revelation of the beauties of old 
age. Gentle benevolence, broad-reaching charity, ripe 
experience, and a cultivation of mind that extends beyond 
letters to mankind, shine through her conversation, and a 
ready memory, keen wit, and a store of reminiscences 
illumine it. Sixty years ago, at the time of her marriage, 
Mrs. Polk was considered remarkable for her beauty ; and 
twenty years after, when she presided at the White House, 
it was so fresh as to attract great admiration. Time has 
stolen the vivid coloring and curved outlines of youth, but 
he has not robbed her of the dignified carriage, and has 
left brightness in her eyes and vivacity in her voice. 
Crowned with eighty years of honor, she rose to receive 
us, and I am not ashamed to say that something like dim- 
ness came over my eyes at the sight of this brave widow, 
who for nearly half a century has lived happy in the 
thought that every day as it passes brings her one nearer 
to her beloved husband. She has never accepted an invita- 
tion since her husband's death, though with graceful hospi- 
tality she has received each year the Tennessee legislature, 
which adjourns in a body to call upon her, and which, I am 
told, is the highest compliment ever paid by State authori- 



V£A/^S OF GRACIOUS HOSPITALITY. 197 

ties to a lady • and the civic, judicial, and ecclesiastical 
bodies make it a point to pay their respects to her. Above 
the sofa on which she sat hung a fine oil portrait of Mr. 
Polk, for which he sat during his administration ; and near 
it was one of herself, taken lately. In it she is dressed as 
on the day I saw her, but until the picture caught my eye, 
I had not noticed what she wore, — the greatest compliment 
perfect taste can command. For a lady of her age and 
position, nothing could be more fitting than the simple 
black dress with its soft lace about the tliroat, and the close 
widow's cap with its snowy border and graceful veil of 
black tulle. Near at hand was a finely polished cane, and 
at the head was tied a double bow of thick old-gold ribbon. 
Among other things she referred to was the recent death of 
Dr. Gross. ' It was only two years ago that he called upon 
nie,' she said, * and we spent a most pleasant hour in talking 
over old times, and he recalled with much animation a 
party we both attended fifty years ago, and he even insisted 
he remembered the very conversation he had with me. He 
was a great man, and the news of his death pained me 
deeply. Then, too, he was one of the few contemporaries 
left me.' In bidding farewell, I expressed the hope that 
her life would continue to flow on as pleasantly as now. 
' Ah,' she answered, with a smile like soft sunlight, ' I can- 
not be here much longer, but I am quite willing to stay or 
to go, whichever is best. My life has been very full, and 
my friends very devoted. I have nothing to ask for, antl 
much to look forward to.' As we drove off, I silently won- 
dered if any woman could see that dignified and charming 
widow without the hope that she, too, might master the art 
of growing old gracefully." 

Governor Crittenden, of Missouri, with a large 
party of gentlemen, called on Mrs. Polk, and was 



198 YEARS OF G HA CIO US HOSPITALITY. 

received in the most gracious manner. He said in 
the " St. Louis Globe-Democrat: " — 

" She takes deep concern in every movement in the 
interest of the South, and desires to see it prosperous and 
in harmony with the progressive views of all the States. 
Her home is always a charming visiting place for the old 
and young at Nashville, and for the thousands of strangers 
who go to that city. She is a devoted Christian, ever hav- 
ing a word of cheer for the prosperous, and of consoling 
sympathy for those whose lives have not fallen in such 
pleasant places. Her life will go out as gently and sweetly 
' as dies the wave along the shore.' " 

The following conversation was had with Mrs. 
Polk by a member of the " Nashville Banner" staff, 
and reported in that paper. Speaking of the Presi- 
dential election of 1844 ^'^ compared with that of 

1884, she said: — 

" So many years have elapsed since that event that the 
facts have almost faded from my memory ; and being the 
wife of one of the parties most interested, the excitement 
was kept far away from me. At that time our home was 
in Columbia, a small village, and we had no railroads and 
no telegraphic system." 

" What were the questions then agitated ? Do you 
remember?" 

" Oh, yes. The question, then, as now, was largely 
about the tariff. In that particular, the two canvasses, 
forty years apart, are very similar. Another point of simi- 
larity was that without the vote of New York, Mr. Polk 
could not have been elected, and we were naturally very 
anxious to hear from that State. The ticket was ' Polk 



YEARS OF GRACIOUS HOSPITALITY. 



199 



and Dallas,' and the battle-cry was ' Polk, Dallas, and 
Texas.' " 
"Texas?" 

" Yes, the acquisition of Texas was another issue of the 
canvass. Of course, there were some opposed to it ; there 
is always somebody opposed to everything. There was 
never another canvass, save perhaps that immediately pre- 
ceding the war, that equalled it in fervor." 

" Was there more excitement than at the present time? " 
" All the information I have of the present canvass is 
what I glean from the newspapers and from what my friends 
tell me, and I judge that the feeling now is as a calm May 
morning to the turbulent, resdess storm of excitement in 
those days. Every district had its political military com- 
pany of organized troops, which if seen now would alarm 
the people to the verge of madness. Since the candidacy 
of Mr. Buchanan the canvass has always been too one-sided 
to create any excitement, except when Mr. Tilden and Mr. 
Hendricks were candidates, and perhaps now. My in- 
creasing age has toned down my ardor in such matters, 
though 1 always take a deep interest in State and national 
affairs. Even then it was necessary to the success of the 
ticket to carry New York. Pennsylvania was secured by 
the nomination of Mr. George M. Dallas for Vice-President, 
and he carried his own State. I regard the acquisition of 
Texas, and the results following the Mexican war, that 
is, the adding of California and New Mexico to the terri- 
tory of the United States, as among the most important 
events in the history of this country, and that fact is becom- 
ing more and more apparent." 

" Was the tariff the leading question in that canvass? " 
" That was one of the questions ; a tariff for revenue 
only was what the Democrats desired, while the Whigs con- 



200 YEARS OF GRACIOUS HOSPITALITY. 

tended that the higher the tariff the cheaper the goods. 
Another question was concerning United States banks, 
which it was desired to dispense with in favor of State 
banks." 

A large party of editors of the New England Press 
Association, spent two days in Nashville in the 
course of their Southern tour. The " Lowell Cit- 
izen," the next month, published the following 
paragraphs descriptive of their visit: — 

f Our party must needs pay their respects to the woman 
of /whom Nashville is most proud, the venerable and ven- 
erated widow of President Polk.y The broad mansion, with 
broad piazzas and stately columns, stands in the midst of 
more modern, but less home-like residences, in the heart of 
the city. A simple tomb of white marble breaks the green 
of the long lawn. Within the house we are received by 
ladies representing three generations of the family, Mrs. 
Polk herself, queenly in her dignity, and crowned with the 
chaplet of the highest womanhood ; Mrs. Fall, her niece ; 
and Miss Fall, her grand-niece. Our visit was but one of 
many such constantly being received by her, from all of 
which the visitors depart with a renewal of their natural 
belief in, and honor for, the gentle influence of the sex she 
so nobly represents. 

" The Rev. Mr. Hatch, of the ' Hartford Courant,' thus 
addressed Mrs. Polk in behalf of the Association : ' Honored 
and venerated woman : The fame of your distinguished 
iiospitality having reached our ears, we have ventured to 
visit your home and offer to you the tribute of our esteem. 
We honor you for the famous name you bear, and we ad- 



YEARS OF GRACIOUS HOSPITALITY. 201 

mire the character that has added new lustre to the name. 
We are a company of New England editors. Were we 
ignorant of your eminent place in our country's history, we 
sliould be unworthy the responsible position vve hold. But 
we do know and admire. When we remember your posi- 
tion in the chief home of this nation, and the dignified and 
graceful bearing which lias characterized your life here in 
all these years, we are constrained to think of you not only 
with the esteem of patriots, but also with the tender love of 
sons. 

" ' Happy he 
With such a mother ! Faith in womankind 
Beats with his blood, and trust in all things high 
Comes easy to him.' 

" ' We bid you adieu. God keep you. God bless you.' " 



STILL BELOVED AND HONORED. 



CHAPTER XIII. 

1884-1891. 

'IT 7 HEN the Phi Delta Theta Society assembled 
^ * in convention at Nashville the members 
called on Mrs. Polk, who was greatly pleased to 
meet so many young men, and to wish them all 
honor, happiness, and prosperity. They sang for 
her some of their lively fraternity songs. 

Soon after, the delegates to the meeting of the 
National Grange and Patrons of Industry visited 
Polk Place in a body, and spent a pleasant hour 
there. 

During a short stay in Nashville the Hon. 
Samuel J. Randall, with his wife called on Mrs. 
Polk. "The Banner" gave an account of this 
visit: — 

"Mr. Randall said that it afforded Mrs. Randall and 
himself a great pleasure thus to meet face to face the 
widow of the statesman and patriot and well-beloved 
President, James K. Polk. She replied that it was an 
equal pleasure to have the privilege of knowing one of 
the foremost men of the times, and the worthy successor 



206 STILL BELOVED AND HONORED. 

to her own lamented husband. She expressed regret that 
Mr. Randall did not now occupy the Speaker's chair; 
adding that the responsibility and influence of the Speaker 
of the House was second only to that of the President 
himself. ' Indeed,' she warmly said, ' the Speaker, if the 
proper person, and with a correct idea of his position, has 
even more power and influence over legislation, and in 
directing the pohcy of parties, than the President or any 
other public officer.' Mr. Randall earnestly replied that 
the Speaker's place was indeed a most responsible one, 
and a position of such dignity and honor that it raises a 
man above the possibility of doing wrong, inspiring him 
with high thoughts and broad views. He reminded her 
of the fact that her husband was the only Speaker of the 
House of Representatives that was ever elected President 
of the United States." 

In a party of business men from New York, was 
the Rev. Dr. Henry M. Field, in whose delightful 
conversation Mrs. Polk was much interested. She 
was especially pleased with the remark: "Madame, 
when I was travelling in Europe, during the Presi- 
dency of your husband, a letter of introduction 
written for me by him, gave me entrance into every 
house that I wished to visit." Mr. Inman repre- 
sented the party in an address to Mrs. Polk, and 
was answered in her behalf by Mr. Thomas, Presi- 
dent of the Nashville, Chattanooga, and St. Louis 
Railway Company. 

While on a visit to Nashville Senator John Sher- 



STILL BELOVED AND HONORED. 207 

man spent an hour in conversation with Mrs. Polk, 
and the interview was much enjoyed by them both. 
He said that though she probably did not remem- 
ber seeing him, long ago, he had a most happy 
remembrance of her, having called on her at the 
White House forty years before, during his bridal 
tour. 

Early in 1887 Col. J. George Harris received a 
letter from his old friend, Mr. George Bancroft, 
announcing his intention of paying a visit to Mrs. 
Polk. The Tennessee Historical Society appointed 
their President, Judge Lea, with several others, as a 
committee to receive the historian. He arrived at 
seven o'clock on the evening of April i6th, accom- 
panied by his German valet, Hermann, and was as 
spirited, active, and keenly observant as though he 
did not bear the burdens of nearly eighty-six years. 
He retired to' his room at the Maxwell House, after 
taking a light refreshment ; but soon after nine 
o'clock, apparently, unfatigued by the long journey, 
went out with his valet for a walk. Mr. S. A. Cun- 
ningham meeting him on Vine Street, conducted 
him to Polk Place. The housekeeper opened the 
door in response to Hermann's touch of the bell, 
and Mr. Bancroft enquired cautiously if Mrs. Polk 
was still in the parlor. Hearing his voice, she at 
once appeared in the doorway, when he sprang 



2o8 STILL BELOVED AND HOXORED. 

forward with an enthusiastic salutation : " Dear 
Mrs. Polk, I am so glad to see you looking so 
very well," 

" I am grateful to you, Mr. Bancroft, for coming 
so far to see us." 

These two belong so emphatically to the scenes 
of a completed past, that this meeting in familiar 
converse suggests two stately figures in an historic 
picture stepping from the frame to talk over the 
life of the olden time. The next day was Sunday 
and Mr. Bancroft occupied Mrs. Polk's pew in 
church, although she was unable to be present. 
He dined with her, and in the quiet and freedom 
of this hour of home comfort and refreshment, 
the two old friends recalled many pleasing incidents 
of the past. 

The well-known banker and philanthropist, Mr. 
Corcoran, had sent her a letter by the hand of his 
friend : — 

My dear Madame, — I have just learned from 
my friend and neighbor, Mr. Bancroft, that he in- 
tends to go to-morrow to Nashville, on purpose to 
see you, and I avail myself of the opportunity to 
send to you and your sweet niece my best regards 
and homage. Wishing you all health and happi- 
ness, sincerely yours, 

W. W. Corcoran. 



STILL BELOVED AND HONORED. 209 

On Monday afternoon Mrs. Polk and INIr. Ban- 
croft received the many friends who came to ex- 
press their esteem and regard for the venerable 
hostess and her distinguished friend. The sub- 
dued hum of conversation, the soft strains of the 
music, the mild light of the wax candles in the 
chandeliers, and the presence of Mr. Bancroft, no 
doubt brought forcibly to the mind of Mrs. Polk 
the far-off Washington days. The next morning's 
" American " said : — 

"The two venerable and historic personages at first 
stood together at the south end of the room ; the lady 
however, soon took an arm-chair near by, but Mr. Ban- 
croft remained standing throughout the reception. His 
eye was bright, his form erect, liis conversation quick, his 
sympathy responsive, his manner genial. The gathering 
included many from neighboring towns, and many of 
Nashville's best citizens." 

One object of Mr. Bancroft's visit was to gather 
from the papers of Mr. Polk certain materials for 
his historical work. He made a partial examina- 
tion of the manuscripts, but many pressing invita- 
tions allowed him little leisure for his task, and Mrs. 
Polk consented to send to him at Washington a 
trunk filled with these important documents. Sev- 
eral months after his return home, the papers were 
all copied and bound, ready for reference, and the 
originals were returned to Nashville. 

14 



210 STILL BELOVED AND HONORED. 

A committee representing the Tennessee Histori- 
cal Society escorted Mr. Bancroft, on the following 
Tuesday, to the Nashville University, now the 
Normal College. Entering the beautiful grounds, 
Judge Lea pointed to a cluster of eleven trees that 
he had planted in memory of his fellow-graduates 
in the class of 1837, mentioning after a pause, that 
he was the only one then left. The Central Tennes- 
see College, and Fisk University, both for colored 
students, received Mr. Bancroft with outbursts of 
song, the organ and orchestra mingling with the 
wild, yet sweet music of hundreds of negro voices. 
At the Fisk, Mr. Bancroft concluded his words to 
the students with this sentence: "Lift up your 
hearts; rise in the dignity of your souls." 

In the evening, the rooms of the Historical So- 
ciety, filled with relics and curiosities, and decorated 
with historic portraits, were thrown open in honor 
of the great historian. He enjoyed the social 
greetings so thoroughly that formal introductions 
were not attempted. Judge Lea stated that Mr. 
Bancroft had long been an honorary member of 
the Society. He referred to the important part 
Mr. Bancroft had taken in the administration of the 
Government, and to the high place he had assumed 
and worthily held, through fifty years, as the histo- 
rian of this western world. In recalling some scenes 



STILL BELOVED AND HOAORED. 



211 



connected with our revolutionary struggle, Jud^e 
Lea said that many writers had treated the battle of 
King's Mountain as only a successful skirmish, 
while Mr. Bancroft had shown it to have been a 
decisive battle, one of the turning-points of the 
Revolution. Then addressing Mr. Bancroft, he 
continued, " You speak of it as having changed 
the aspect of the war, as inspiring the soldiers like 
the ringing cry of Concord, as being in its effects 
like the success at Bennington. This is a tribute 
to the people who afterward organized the State of 
Tennessee. Honorable mention, too, you make of 
the pioneers of the Watauga settlement, and a clear 
statement is given of the Scotch-Irish who sought 
homes in the western country, the chief of whom. 
General James Robertson, the founder of Nashville, 
whose portrait is just opposite this platform, you 
characterize as possessed of a true nobleness of 
soul, intrepid and patriotic. It is natural, therefore, 
that the people of Nashville should recognize an 
obligation greater perhaps than you are aware, and 
the visit of no distinguished citizen could have been 
to them more acceptable." 

In response, Mr. Bancroft said he was glad that 
the President of the Society had spoken of him as a 
member. " I stand here to-night," he went on, " as 
a friend and a brother. Tennessee can well afford 



212 STILL BELOVED AND HONORED. 

to have an historical society. Men of highest moral 
character were the pioneers of this section. I am 
amazed at your wealth and culture. The immi- 
grants who came here brought the purest principles, 
■ and the men of Tennessee have exerted an influence 
on the habits of men not only in this country, but 
throughout the world. Who was it that said, ' The 
Union ; it must and shall be preserved ' ? He was 
your fellow-citizen. The world has not yet given 
all the honor that is in store for Andrew Jackson. 
He will live in sweetest affection. I knew him well, 
and look on him as second only to George Wash- 
ington. Nor need we name him alone. I remem- 
ber with pride the achievements of Polk's adminis- 
tration. I can testify to the wonderful capacity of 
his mind." With proud emphasis he added, " We 
are one. May our Union be founded on a rock. I 
have always turned to the South with a pride in her 
integrity and patriotism, no less than to the North. 
The results of our solidified Union are showing 
themselves in Europe, and will in Asia, and through- 
out the world." 

Mr. Bancroft's last morning in the city was spent 
in visiting Belle Meade, five miles away, looking at 
the fine blooded horses, and enjoying the rare sight 
of the herd of beautiful deer, roving in the park. 

Among the many newspaper comments on this 



STILL BELOVED AND HONORED. 



213 



notable visit, we quote only the following from 
the " St, Louis Republican : " — 

" The meeting between the estimable lady who has been 
an ex-President's widow for thirty-eight years, and the 
venerable old gentleman who was first her husband's Secre- 
tary of the Navy, and afterward his minister to the Court 
of St. James, was most courtly, cordial, and happy. The 
days of the Polk administration were an age of courtly 
grace and sentiment, and in its mellow splendor neither of 
them dreamed of the tragic four years with the following 
era of hard materialism which they have lived to see. Mr. 
Bancroft is well on toward ninety, and Mrs. Polk, is close 
behind him." 



In October Mr. and Mrs. Cleveland visited Nash- 
ville, and were guests of General Jackson at Belle 
Meade. They arrived on Saturday night, and wish- 
ing to give Mrs. Polk due precedence and attention 
by seeing her before the public reception on Mon- 
day morning, they called on her on Sunday after- 
noon, desiring to make a quiet, informal visit. The 
Harding turnpike was thronged with the vehicles of 
those who were anxious to get a glimpse of the 
President and his wife as they drove into the city; 
and the streets around Polk Place were filled with a 
similarly expectant crowd, who doffed their hats 
and cheered, as the President's carriage drove 
rapidly by. Mr. Fall met the party at the steps of 



214 STILL BELOVED AND IJONORED. 

the portico, and bade them welcome. Mrs. Polk 
and the President enjoyed a free and animated talk 
about Washington and the Executive Mansion; 
and referring to this conversation afterward, she 
said, " During our talk we built and rebuilt the 
White House." After refreshments had been served, 
the guests went to look at the tomb. Soon after- 
ward farewells were said, and Mrs. Polk, leaning 
upon the arm of ex-Governor Porter, went to the 
steps of the portico to see the party leave. The 
President took off his hat to the company at the 
door, his wife bowed good-by, and the carriage w^as 
quickly driven away, followed by the cheers of the 
assembled crowds. This visit was unique. It 
brought together for a brief social meeting two 
ladies, the elder of whom entered the White House 
as mistress in 1845, and the younger in 1885, just 
forty years afterward, a circumstance never occur- 
ring before and not likely to occur again. 

In November, befote the assembling of the Na- 
tional Convention of the Woman's Christian Tem- 
perance Union in Nashville, their President, Missu 
Willard, paid a brief visit to Polk Place. It was 
pleasant to see in simple, familiar converse these 
two women, the one in middle life having already 
attained a world-wide reputation by her work with 
voice and pen, and the other venerable in years and 



STILL BELOVED AND HONORED. 215 

honors, holding as she had done for half a century 
the unfeigned affection of the American people. 
The two sat in a tete-a-tete armchair with reverse 
seats, so that they were vis-d-vis as well as side by 
side. Mrs. Polk remarking that she could write a 
letter as easily after dinner as in the forenoon. Miss 
Willard said playfully that she was going to tell her 
mother, who was eighty-three years old and accus- 
tomed to write only in the fresh morning hours, 
that Mrs. Polk said it made no difference, and so 
she might write in the afternoon also. The ebony 
cane mounted with a silver hand-rest which Miss 
Fall had brought from London for her aunt, was 
Miss Willard's special admiration and referring again 
to her mother, she said that she had arranged hand- 
rests, little crutches she called them, in various 
parts of the house, at the head and foot of the 
stair-ways, and on the landings, wherever her 
mother might need help in walking. 

About a hundred members of the convention 
called one day at the noon hour, and were intro- 
duced to Mrs. Polk. Many other members of the 
Union visited Polk Place, in groups, at odd times. 
A delegate from New York had brought her baby 
to the Convention. She called upon Mrs. Polk, 
and said, waving her hand toward the baby in the 
nurse's arms, " Madame, you have seen the eldest 



2l6 STILL BELOVED AND HONORED. 

member of the W. C. To U. Convention ; this is 
the youngest." These visits were enjoyed by the 
aged hostess. " If I were younger," she said, 
" I would certainly attend your meetings." Her 
unqualified admiration was excited by the un- 
dreamed-of powers developed in woman by the 
novel circumstances of modern times. 

Among her visitors, soon afterward, was the 
sculptor Valentine, of Richmond, who had just 
come from the unveiling of his bronze statue of 
John Cabell Breckinridge, at Lexington, Ken- 
tucky. The evangelist Sayford, of Boston, with 
his quartette, also called ; as 'did Thomas Nelson 
Page, who had been entertaining large audiences 
with recitations from his stories of Southern life 
in that old regime now fast receding into the past. 
She said to Mr. Page that the friends she had 
known many years ago, in Richmond, were all 
dead, and that it was very kind in him to call on 
one who was but a relic of the past. To which 
he replied, " Madame, you have as many friends 
in Richmond now as you had in the olden times." 
This rejoinder awakened in her heart the feeling 
of gratitude which was so often heard from her 
lips ; and she said : " I am astonished at so much 
attention being paid me, an old woman on the 
verge of the grave. I recognize nothing in myself; 



STILL BELOVED AND HONORED. 217 

I am only an atom in the hands of God, who 
does it all." She added, " My husband lived in 
distinguished times, and all these honors I take as 
being done for his sake, for he is better under- 
stood now than in those days." 

In the April following Mrs. Polk sent a telegram 
of inquiry as to Mr. Bancroft's health, and received 
this message in response : — 

I am in most excellent health ; splendid appe- 
tite, seven hours unbroken sleep at night; and, 
thank God, I have good friends like you to com- 
fort me. 

George Bancroft. 

Mrs. Hayes, of Baltimore, the venerable President 
of the Woman's Missionary Societies of the Metho- 
dist Church, spent a quiet hour with Mrs. Polk. 
She had reached her seventy-fifth year the day 
before, and it was pleasant to them both to recall 
the friends and incidents of the half-century just 
passed. 

About this time Miss Ballentine, Principal of 
the young women's department of Fisk University, 
made herself known to Mrs. Polk as the daughter 
of the Rev. E. Ballentine, pastor of the Presbyterian 
Church at Washington at the time when President 
Polk and his wife worshipped there. She received 



2l8 STILL BELOVED AXD HONORED. 

the daughter of her former pastor with evident 
pleasure, and with many recollections of her father's 
ministrations. On the eve of Mr. Polk's retire- 
ment from office Mr. Ballentine had presented 
to him and his wife a copy of the Bible, and 
also of " The Pilgrim's Progress." The Bible she 
now gave to his daughter, in affectionate remem- 
brance of her father, knowing that no one else 
would so prize a keepsake which had been care- 
fully preserved for nearly forty years. Miss Ballen- 
tine said that it should be a precious heir-loom 
in her family, and would now be given to the 
youngest son of her youngest brother, a child 
two years old, who bears the name of his grand- 
father. On the flyleaf of each had been written 
a letter of presentation in which the pastor begs 
the President and his wife to accept the books 
" as proofs of his high regard, and of his earnest 
wishes for their temporal and eternal welfare. 
Ma}' the Bible be their Counsellor and Comforter, 
and the Progress of the Pilgrim to Zion theirs 
during their earthly lives. February 24th, 1849." 
It was less than four months after he had left 
Washington, that the astonishing tidings of Mr. 
Polk's death flashed over the country; and on 
the 24th of June, Mr. Ballentine preached a 
memorial sermon, exactly four months from the 



STILL BELOVED AND HONORED. 219 

date of his inscription in the Bible. An extract 
from this discourse may be quoted : — 

" That last Sabbath of his attendance in this 
sanctuary has by his death become invested with 
new and affecting interest. It was the 4th of 
March, the last day of his Presidency. His term 
of office commenced with a solemn oath in the 
name of his Maker, and closed while he was 
engaged with us in the services of God's worship, 
— certainly a sacred, solemn moment, when the 
holy employment might stimulate the sense of 
accountability, and the desire of God's accept- 
ance, and excite to prayer in behalf of the country 
he loved, whose government he had administered 
with so much assiduity, energy, and ability. We 
remember with sad interest now his retiring at 
the close of the services, from the seat he had 
so long occupied, and how he gave the parting 
hand to those around him. It was not without 
deep emotion that he said to an elder of the 
church, whom he met among the last in the aisle, 
as he shook his hand and called him by name, ' I 
shall never worship with you again.' A predic- 
tion how soon and sadly confirmed. To her whom 
this sudden stroke has deprived of the desire of 
her eyes, who so long and so lately had a 
place in our sanctuary, the savor of whose Chris- 



220 STILL BELOVED AND HONORED. 

tian character was as ointment poured forth in the 
exalted place she occupied, to her we tender our 
Christian sympathy, and we pray that, according 
to the rich and sure promises of the Bible, God 
may be her God both now and forever." 

On one occasion the writers met at Polk Place 
the daughter of Mr. Polk's sister Ophelia, now Mrs. 
Naomi Hayes Moore, and her daughter Ophelia. 
Her husband, Major W. E. Moore, was chief 
commissary of the Army of the Tennessee. She 
had shared with him the hardships of war, early in 
the sixties, and this exposure brought on a throat 
affection, resulting in irremediable deafness. Her 
bright, eager eyes, searching in the faces of those 
around her for intelligible signs of the thoughts 
flowing from their lips, showed her mental vivacity. 
The daughter, a living illustration of filial devotion, 
busily employed her fair hands in the graceful 
finger-language, telling her mother what was said, 
and enabling her to take a part in the conversation. 
In the awful railroad accident which occurred near 
Statesville, North Carolina, in August, 1891, Miss 
Ophelia Moore was killed. A few days afterward, 
a small gold watch was found in the wreck. En- 
graved on the back is the coat of arms of the Polk 
family, — a wild boar pierced through, and four 
bugles, with the motto, " audacter et strenue." 



STILL BELOVED AND HONORED. 221 

The 4th of July, 1888, was the opening day of 
the Cincinnati Centennial Exposition, commem- 
orating the progress of Ohio and the Central 
States during the century. Mrs. Polk, as the eldest 
widow of an ex-President, was chosen to touch 
the electric button, which was to give the signal 
to set the vast machinery in motion. Telegraph 
wires were carried into her residence, and the 
instruments placed upon the marble table sent 
from Tunis in 1849. -^ score or more of gentle- 
men were present as invited guests. Mr. J. U. 
Rust and Mr. A. H. Stewart manipulated the wires 
for the Western Union Telegraph Company. At 
a quarter past eleven o'clock, the following tele- 
gram was received : — 

Centennial Hall, Cincinnati, July 4, 18S8. 

Greeting to Mrs. James K. Polk: That upon 
this auspicious moment, w^ien heaven has smiled 
upon this glorious northwestern territory, the same 
beneficent providence has spared to the citizens of 
the United States the wife of their revered Presi- 
dent, James K. Polk. 

James Allison, President. 

The Rev. Dr. Witherspoon was requested to read 
the message to the deeply interested group round 
the table. She replied immediately, as follows: 



222 STILL BELOVED AND HONORED. 

" Mrs. Polk acknowledges the courteous telegram 
just received, and hereby returns her thanks for the 
kind remembrance of her husband and herself upon 
this memorable occasion." 

There is a difference of twenty-two minutes be- 
tween the two cities, Nashville going by standard 
time, and Cincinnati preferring sun-time; and at 
thirty-eight minutes past eleven o'clock here, it 
was twelve o'clock there. At this moment Mrs. 
Polk pressed the key, in response to which came 
this dispatch : — 

"When Mrs. Polk touched the key the machinery 
started, bells rang, hundreds of electric lights flashed 
out, and the entire concourse of people rose and 
cheered amid the waving of flags and banners. 
Such a thrilling scene has not been witnessed for 
years." 

An outburst of applause from the little audience 
in Polk Place greeted the reading of this message, 
and the only quiet person in the assembly was the 
venerable lady who was the centre of observation. 
A gentleman standing near bowed to her and said, 
" We are not going to let you go down, Mrs. Polk. 
We will keep you up by electricity, if by nothing 
else." She received many congratulations, and re- 
plied to them in the manner peculiar to herself. 
To Dr. Witherspoon she said, "The honor which 



STILL BELOVED AND HONORED. 223 

has been paid me does not appeal to my pride. I 
recognize that it is a comphment to Mr. Polk, and 
it is one which I appreciate fully. Such tokens of 
remembrance of my husband, expressed through 
kindness to me, have cheered me all along to the 
very evening of life, and I am deeply grateful for 
them." 

The " American " thus concludes a long account 
of this unique event : — 

"The honor paid to Mrs. Polk was an honor to the 
womanhood of the South, whose virtues this venerable lady 
embodies, and as such will not easily be forgotten." 

During the following year she was much pleased 
by the visit of a group of New York capitalists, 
among whom were Abram S. Hewitt, Edward 
Cooper, a son of Peter Cooper, and John C. Cal- 
houn, a descendant of the distinguished statesman 
whose full name he bears. Mrs. Polk had been 
intimately associated with Mr. Calhoun's grand- 
parents on both sides. The stream of reminiscence 
awakened by the surprise and pleasure of seeing 
him made her unusually bright and cheerful. She 
also enjoyed the conversation with Mr. Hewitt, en- 
riched by his overflowing fund of information con- 
cerning things past as well as present. " He knows 
everything," she said. 



224 STILL BELOVED AiVD HONORED. 

When the Rev. Dr. H. M. Field passed through 
Nashville, on his return from a long sojourn in 
Florida, she sent special regards to Mr. Bancroft, 
as Dr. Field intended staying several days in Wash- 
ington. Some time afterward, the following letter 
came to her : — 

"My dear Mrs. Polk, — Yesterday afternoon, 
in company with my brother, Judge Field, I paid 
a visit to Mr. Bancroft. We found him in his li- 
brary, looking somewhat aged, but still bright with 
all his old fire. He was delighted to see us, and 
especially gratified to receive the message from 
you, to which he replied in the warmest manner, 
saying that no one since Mrs. Washington had 
filled the place you occupied here with more per- 
fect grace and dignity, and that you were remem- 
bered by the older residents with the utmost respect 
and affection. Nor was he less ardent in his praise 
of your husband, whose administration he pro- 
nounced one of the most brilliant in American 
history. This great distinction, he said, was due 
to Mr. Polk himself; that he was not, like some 
Presidents, a mere figure-head of the Government, 
to be ruled by his Cabinet, but that, while he had 
indeed a Cabinet which comprised men of great 
ability, yet that he was the ablest of them all. He 



STILL BELOVED AXD HONORED. 



225 



Spoke of the great events of his administration, — 
the Mexican war, the acquisition of Texas and of 
Cahfornia, the latter bringing with it the great em- 
pire on the Pacific coast. All this was very high 
praise, to come from the historian of our country. 
After an hour's visit we could hardly tear ourselves 
from the eloquent old man, and as we parted he 
begged us to send to Mrs. Polk his most affection- 
ate remembrance. To this I may add my own, and 
beg that you will now and then give a thought to 
one who considers it an honor to be permitted to 
call himself your friend." 

In a letter to a correspondent in Nashville, Dr. 
Field said : — 

" Will you present my regards especially to Mrs- 
Polk? I wish you could have heard Mr. Bancroft 
speak of her, and of her honored husband. Please tell 
her that I mean to come to Nashville again, if it 
were only to pay my respects to her. How truly she 
finds that ' at evening time it shall be light.' So 
may it be until this soft beautiful twilight fades into 
the light of heaven." 

Healy's portrait of Mr. Polk was copied for his 
niece, Mrs. Barnett, by Miss Zollicoffer of Colum- 
bia. This portrait occupied a prominent place in the 
large tent in which the Scotch-Irish Congress held 

15 



226 STILL BELOVED AND HONORED. 

their proceedings in that city in May, 1889. Upon 
his return from this convention, Colonel McClure 
of Philadelphia, with his wife and their party, called 
upon Mrs. Polk. Referring to his visit of several 
years before, he said that after leaving the mansion 
he felt ashamed that he had remained so long. So 
engrossed was he in the conversation that he was 
beguiled into a longer stay than he had intended. 

A company of librarians from the New England 
States came during this month, and a brief eloquent 
address was made to her by Mr. Justin Winsor, 
Librarian of Harvard College. At its close he and 
his companions made a bow in unison, the grace 
and heartiness of which impressed her very pleas- 
antly. In the same month a number of Ohio edi- 
tors, passing through Nashville, paid their respects 
to her. One of this company, Mr. Lewis Green, 
wrote thus of the visit: "At eleven o'clock, our 
party called upon Mrs. Polk. Her welcome was 
hearty and gracious, and she had a smile and a 
kind word for all. Probably no company ever 
invaded the parlors of the old mansion, that was 
better pleased with their reception than ours." 

During the meeting of the American Medical 
Association a large number of physicians, with 
their wives and friends, called on her. As they 
were presented, instinctively a hand now and then 



STILL BELOVED AND HONORED. 22/ 

was offered, but was quickly and courteously put 
back by the cautious master of ceremonies; for the 
cordial custom of hand-shaking was too fatiguing to 
the cheery but feeble octogenarian. The next day, 
when she had a visit from a smaller number of 
medical men, not present at the former call, a tall, 
spare, gray-haired Pennsylvanian bent over, and 
seizing her hand, held it while he poured forth a 
torrent of eloquence, tears streaming down his 
cheeks, and as he closed, pressing his lips to her 
hand. The others looked on in respectful silence. 
His emotion made a deep impression not only on 
Mrs. Polk, but on all present. 

On one occasion an ex-governor of Massachu- 
setts pleased her greatly by the praise he be- 
stowed upon her husband, and the important acts 
of his administration. He also said that he had 
been very desirous of seeing a former resident of 
the White House about whom no unkind criticism 
or complaint had ever been made. She enjoyed 
the interview, but smilingly told him that had he 
not been accompanied by her relative, Mr. Child- 
ress, he would not have gained an admittance, as 
her feebleness often prevented her meeting visitors. 
In receiving the Rev Mr. Miller of Princeton, New 
Jersey, she said she was so weak that it was only 
the " Rev." before his name that induced her to 



228 STILL BELOVED AND HONORED. 

see him. He commended her faithfulness to Pres- 
byterian principles, — a faithfuhiess without merit, 
she thought, as it was a part of the warp and woof 
of her nature, a part of the heritage of her fathers. 

Professor Bourland, of the Peabody Normal 
School, escorted about fifty of the pupils to Polk 
Place. They represented several southern States. 
As she looked at them she thought: "This is a free 
school, and who knows but that some young per- 
son now present who has been helped by kind 
friends to come here and get an education may 
some day rise to power and exert a wide influence 
for good?" " This visit was very agreeable to me," 
she afterward said ; then raising her palm-leaf fan to 
her face, and laughing quietly, added, "but if they 
had been old politicians — ! " 

A young man from North Carolina told her that 
his father was a Democrat, and had worked hard for 
Mr. Polk in 1844, and that he had requested him 
to see Mrs. Polk, if possible, and to convey to her 
his respectful remembrances. She assured him, as 
she had often before assured college students who 
wished to ask questions concerning her husband, 
that it made her happy to talk about him. One of 
the students was a young man of fine proportions, 
who had been engaged in some occupation on a 
steamboat, until his desire for the profession of a 



STILL BELOVED AND HONORED. 229 

teacher led him to the Normal School. His enthu- 
siasm was aroused by the interview, and he ex- 
claimed when they had left her presence, " I never 
felt so much like being good and doing good as 
when I saw her." 



HOME SCENES AND INCIDENTS. 




IMKS. POLK. 

Copy (>/ Dnn-ys hoffrijit, paiiileii tii 1878. 



CHAPTER XIV. 

1881-1885. 

'"T^HE guests assembled at " Our Home on the 
-*- Hillside," a summer resort at Dansville, New 
York, were talking one day on the engrossing 
theme of President Garfield's illness, and discussing 
the latest bulletin in the morning newspaper. Re- 
calling various incidents connected with the White 
House, some one remembered that it contained no 
portrait of Mrs. President Polk. After an animated 
interchange of opinion on the subject, Miss Frances 
Willard suggested that the present occasion was a 
fitting time to set on foot an effort to secure the 
desired portrait. Suitable resolutions were adopted 
and a committee composed of representative women 
chosen, and empowered to carry out the details of 
the plan. The order was given to Mr. Dury of 
Nashville. In due time Mrs. Porter, the President 
of the Ladies' Association at Nashville, received a 
letter from Senator Jackson in which he announced 
the arrival of the portrait at Washington, and its 



234 HOME SCENES AND INCIDENTS. 

conveyance by himself and his colleague, Senator 
Harris, to the Executive Mansion, where it was to 
be hung in a place to be designated by President 
Arthur. This picture was a copy of Healy's por- 
trait, taken when Mrs. Polk was mistress of the 
White House. In 1878, when she was seventy-five 
years old, she had sat to Mr. Dury for her portrait, 
and the artist has well preserved her familiar feat- 
ures and bright expression. 

Her home, year after year, grew richer in pic- 
tures and rare objects. In the large hall near an 
engraving of the Washington Monument, and of 
the equestrian statue of General Jackson, hung a 
portrait of Mr. Polk, painted by Healy for Judge 
Catron. After the death of the Judge and his wife 
it had been presented to Mrs. Fall by Mrs. Jane 
Marshall, who thought Polk Place the safest deposi- 
tory for so valuable a picture. In the dining-room 
were two attractive old portraits : one of Mrs. 
Childress, Mrs. Polk's mother; the other of Mrs. 
Jetton, Mrs. Fall's mother. In the east parlor was 
a portrait of Mr. Polk by a Nashville artist, Mr. 
William Cooper ; while another by his brother, Mr. 
Washington B. Cooper, hung over the mantel-piece 
in Mrs. Polk's bedroom. In this homelike chamber 
was the massive furniture of former days. An im- 
mense four-post canopied bedstead occupied a 



HOME SCENES AND INCIDENTS. 235 

large space. Here upon a centre-table stood a 
student's lamp; and the books, papers, pen, and 
ink, were arranged in the order which betokened a 
habit of carefulness. This room was shared with 
the little niece Saidee, when a child. 

The relics, heirlooms and treasures with which 
the house abounded, were assigned to one and an- 
other of her friends, to be delivered after her death. 
Of this nearing event she always spoke with as 
much quietness as she would of taking an ordinary 
journey. To Saidee, the pet of the household, the 
greater part of these mementos has fallen. Among 
them is a trunk full of the Paris dresses worn by 
the President's wife on state occasions. Other 
treasures were the heavy gold watch, the specta- 
cles, pencil-case, and pen used by her husband. 
She kept these with the inauguration Bible in a 
box fashioned of dark wood ornamented with a 
band of bird's-eye maple, covered with a glass lid, 
and fastened with a tiny lock and key. Red tissue- 
paper and masses of white cotton concealed the 
Bible and other reminders of pleasant occupations 
in the past. This watch had belonged to an elder 
brother of Mr. Polk's, a handsome, dashing young 
man, who one day took it from his pocket, and 
placed it in that of his brother, saying that his 
brother's watch was too plain. This brother was 



236 HOME SCENES AND rNCIDENTS. 

not twenty- five years old when he died, away from 
home ; and one of his last messages was that his 
brother James should have the watch. After Mr, 
Polk's death it was worn by his brother William ; 
and when he died, it was sent to Mrs. Polk. Some 
years before her own death she sent it to Tasker, 
a son of William H. Polk, of North Carolina. 

During the war Major William H. Polk and the 
Hon. Bailie Peyton, of Tennessee, went to Wash- 
ington, to confer with the Government concerning 
an exchange of prisoners. While they were there, 
an officer in the Federal army, whose name is now 
forgotten, gave to Major Polk a watch that he said 
had once belonged to General Washington, and 
afterward to General Robert E. Lee. Engraved on 
the back was the letter W. Returning to Columbia, 
Major Polk handed it to his wife, requesting her, in 
the event of his death before the end of the war, to 
see that it was returned to General Lee, or his 
family. After his death, not willing to risk so valu- 
able a relic in a passage through the army from 
Tennessee to North Carolina, she took it to Mrs. 
Polk, asking her to return it to General Lee. Im- 
mediately after the surrender Mrs. William H. Polk 
wrote to General Lee concerning the watch. He 
replied that if it came from the White House, Vir- 
ginia, or from Arlington, it was his property; if 



HOME SCENES AND INCIDENTS. 237 

not, it did not belong to him. Mrs. Polk sent it on, 
and as it proved to be his, received from him a 
courteous letter of thanks. 

Early in 1882 a bill appropriating a pension to 
the venerable widow of ex-President Polk was intro- 
duced in Congress, and ably advocated by Senator 
Jackson and his colleague. In the House of Rep- 
resentatives the Tennessee delegation successfully 
urged its passage. It was amended so as to include 
all the widows of former Presidents, then living; 
and the pension was fixed at five thousand dollars 
per annum. The justice of such an appropriation 
may be better understood, in Mrs. Polk's case, by 
referring to an address made by ex-Governor Aaron 
V. Brown in the Democratic Convention, in January, 
1852, in the Capitol at Nashville. Speaking of Mr. 
Polk, he said, " From yonder window you may look 
out on the spot where lies entombed all that was 
mortal of that eminent and good man. But if you 
would contemplate the never-dying principles which 
he illustrated and adorned, you must extend your 
view far beyond our present horizon. You must 
gaze with amazement over the whole area of this 
great continent; on Texas now teeming with a con- 
tented population ; on California and Oregon already 
building ,np cities on the distant shores of the Pacific, 
and opening for us the way to the boundless wealth 



238 HOME SCENES AND INCIDENTS. 

and commerce of the Asiatic world. Never until 
we have taken a broad, national survey like this, 
shall we be prepared to pay homage to the great 
principles of Jackson and Polk." 

In a familiar conversation on the pension, Mrs. 
Polk said, "I 've often thought, if I had a strip of 
California I would make Sallie rich, — and you too," 
she added, looking at a friend sitting beside her. 
She helped many who came to the door, saying that 
a little money would at least give them bread ; she 
preferred, however, to assist the needy through the 
Relief Society and similar associations, in order 
that the gift might be wisely dispensed. But, to 
use her own words, she " had no surplus to donate 
to institutions of learning or benevolence." 

On Decoration Day, at the National Cemetery 
near Nashville, Colonel House of Indianapolis de- 
livered an original poem. He visited Mrs. Polk 
while here, and after returning home, sent the 
following sonnet to the "Nashville American: " 

SERUS IN COELUM REDEAS. 

" Dear lady, when life's day was young and fair, 
Thine own and country's, then thy youthful eyes 
Caught glow of cloudless light from happy skies. 
Though thou hast stood within their noontide glare, 
The fountains of thy heart were not dried bare ; 
Nor when arose dense clouds of funeral dyes, 
And hope afar seemed clothed in sombre guise, 



HOME SCENES AND INCIDENTS. 239 

Didst thou lose youthful heart or greet despair. 
And as from thy calm eyes we catch the o-Jeam 
Of skies that once o'erarched life's flowery plain 
The phantom Time fades from us like a dream, 
And comes the thought that, born 'neath fairy reio-n, 
Thou found'st in days when ruled the old regime 
The fountain Ponce de Leon sought in vain." 

A few months after Mrs. Polk's marriage in 
January, 1824, one of her friends was visiting the 
home of Mr. John Catron, at Rokeby, not far 
from where the Vanderbilt University now stands. 
This friend told her that when Mr. Catron came 
home one evening, he said that he had been asked 
what sort of a girl James K. Polk had married, and 
that he had replied, " Oh, a poor, sickly thing, who 
will not live a year." He used to repeat this inci- 
dent with much amusement long afterward, when 
time had proved that he was not so well fitted to be 
a judge of feminine longevity as of the intricate 
problems of the law. In her old age, when Judge 
Catron himself and all who had heard the remark 
were dead, she often spoke of the impressive fact 
that of all that circle of friends she alone was 
living. 

On the 4th of September, 1883, she was eighty 
years old. A complete surprise was given her by 
the congratulations of many friends. Some scores 
of citizens, more or less prominent, paid their re- 



240 HOME SCENES AND INCIDENTS. 

spects. Mrs. Dr. Cheatham sent a large bouquet, 
the figures " 80 " in the centre made of tuberoses 
on an ample background of crimson geraniums, 
the whole bordered with heliotropes and other deli- 
cate blossoms. Bouquets were also sent by several 
others. 

The newspapers on the following morning con- 
tained these lines: — 

Sept. 4, 1S03. Sept. 4, 1883. 

To THE Hon. ]\Irs. James K. Polk. 

The path of the just is as the shining light, that shineth 
more and more unto the perfect day. — Proverbs iv. 18. 

The singers of the earth, with plaintive strain. 
That fills the soul with sense of loss and pain, 
Lament the course of life's declining day. 
That slowly, surely leads to evening gray. 
Just when high noon is glorious and complete, 
And strength and skill make every labor sweet. 

But are they not with partial view content ? 
And, Madame, make they not undue lament? 
They see alone the body's sad decline, 
But think not of the spirit's essence fine. 
Which grows in wisdom and in beauty still, 
With each experience of good and ill. 

Thus, growing greater still, thy life appears. 

Seen through the vista of these eighty years ; 

Beginning with the maiden's gentle ways, 

Compelling then the world's admiring gaze. 

And then, through sad bereavement's chastening power. 

Attaining character's most lovely flower. 



HOME SCENES AND INCIDENTS. 24 1 

Mid clustering memories of life's happy day, 

Thou waitest gladly in its evening gray, 

With eyes of faith turned westward to the sky, 

Behind whose rainbow banners, tower! no- hicrh 

Stand Heaven's bright gates, which soon will open wide. 

And thou wilt go where life and light abide. 

F. D. N. 

From an editorial of the " American," the same 
day, the following sentences are taken: — 

" This country has produced no statesman whose home 
was happier than was that of the great man who sleeps so 
quietly while the beloved wife watches over his grave. 
Through all his conflicts, and as the tide of fortune carried 
him up, she was ever by his side. She is well preserved, 
exceedingly cheerful and bright, and is the highest type of 
a Christian woman." 

One afternoon, in the middle of March, when we 
called to inquire after her health, and one spoke 
of the fresh, green leaves, and the yellow spring 
flowers, looking like spots of gold, and the purple 
and pink hyacinths on either side of the long walk, 
she said, "Are they blooming? The flowers and 
I are alike, both going downward." This was said 
with a smile, as if she concurred in the wisdom 
of nature, which made it necessary for her to fade 
and disappear. Like the flowers that had rejoiced 
in their free and fragrant life, so had she rejoiced in 
hers. As we rose to go, and spoke of the Immigra- 
tion Committee guests of the city who had called 

16 



242 HOME SCENES AND INCIDENTS. 

on her the week before, she said that she had re- 
ceived so many calls of respect and so many marks 
of kindness that she feared she was not as appre- 
ciative as she wished to be. " If, in my old age," 
she continued, " I can give pleasure to my fellow- 
citizens by receiving them, it gives me pleasure to 
do so." Then she resumed, smilingly, " You know 
a woman never grows too old to be indifferent to 
a compliment." 

One day when the June heat brought to every one 
a sense of lassitude she expressed a feeling of a loss 
of interest in public as well as in private affairs, — 
a loosening of the links binding her to the world of 
thought and action. Some one remarked that prob- 
ably the feeling was owing to a lessening of her 
physical strength, A moment after, however, she 
began to dwell with evident interest upon the merits 
of the candidates for the presidency. And when 
one of the group, changing the subject, mentioned 
the recent elaborate celebration of the six hundredth 
anniversary of the charming of the children of 
Hamelin by the Pied Piper, she remarked with ani- 
mation that, both in Europe and in America, much 
more attention than formerly was now paid to 
historical incidents, and to the gathering of data for 
history and biography. Then with a little glow of 
animation she continued : " The journals of the day 



HOME SCENES AND INCIDENTS. 



243 



contain many Interesting historical references, and 
it would be pleasant to read them if it were not for 
the flaming head-lines of dreadful deeds just com- 
mitted that deface almost every column." 

Admiring the striking and popular sermons of 

Dr. , she said that in the judgment of former 

days, his excellence would have been marred by his 
peculiarities. " How the times have changed ! " she 
exclaimed ; " but it is necessary for every one to 
advance with the times, so that the generation pass- 
ing away may not be too widely separated from 
the one just arising. When our church was trying 
to find a suitable pastor," she continued, " some one 
asked me what my choice was. ' I have no choice 
to make,' I replied. * What ! consult an old lady 
about the selection of a minister? It is not to old 
ladies that the minister comes to preach. It is his 
chief calling to gather the young in, and to interest 
them that they may become Christians. I could sit 
at home, and read a sermon, and do very well. It 
is the young people who must be pleased in the 
choice of a minister.' " 

The conversation drifting to the subject of relig- 
ious newspapers, her opinion was that they draw 
us too much away from the Bible. The various 
beautiful lives of Christ, and the multitude of relig- 
ious publications satisfied us, she thought, and con- 



244 HOME SCENES AND INCIDENTS. 

sumed the hours that ought to be spent in reading 
chapter after chapter of the Divine Oracles. 

Speaking one day of the rehgious movements of 
the time, mention was made of a recent series of 
meetings of ladies for Scripture-study and prayer, 
which had attracted much attention in the city. 
Miss G. had begun a Httle meeting of a few friends 
for prayer and Bible-study, which soon grew to large 
proportions, filling the double parlors of her father's 
house. Replying to a remark concerning this un- 
usual manifestation of interest in spiritual themes, 
Mrs. Polk said: "I have always believed in prayer, 
and I believe in it still. I told Miss G. that if I 
were younger and stronger, I too would go to her 
meetings. Let the ladies pray, and if they think 
any sickness they have may be cured by prayer, it 
is a beautiful faith. I have often prayed for such 
things, and whenever I have failed to get the desired 
answer, my faith was only strengthened, because I 
considered that my prayer might not have been 
made in the right spirit or at the right time, and 
that another time my desire might be granted." 

Her mind reverting to the Rev. Mr. Henderson, 
who had officiated at her marriage, she said that in 
those old times he once preached a sermon in the 
Court House in Nashville, to the few Presbyte- 
rians living in the city, who had then no house of 



HOME SCENES AND INCIDENTS 245 

public worship. He spoke strongly against duel- 
ling, which in those days was a not infrequent oc- 
currence, and enlarged upon its sin and evil con- 
sequences. To the dismay of his friends, General 
Jackson sat among the auditors, — whether known or 
not to the preacher declaiming so earnestly against 
one of his practices, they could not tell. He was 
aware, however, that the general would certainly 
hear of the sermon. The next morning, while the 
good friends were still trembling for Mr. Henderson, 
supposing that he had incurred the wrath of the 
fiery soldier, the general had already visited a tailor 
and ordered for the minister the finest suit of clothes 
that could be made ! 

When any one presumed that the inquiries of 
strangers concerning Mr. Polk's life would become 
monotonous, or be deemed an intrusion upon the 
sacredness of her gravest memories, she would 
reply: " I feel an exquisite pleasure in giving infor- 
mation, especially to young men, concerning his 
public and private life, for of course I deem it a life 
eminently worthy of emulation. Not long ago, a 
number of college students called upon me. In the 
course of a most agreeable conversation I observed 
that some of the young gentlemen hesitated to 
make inquiries for certain information of a some- 
what personal nature concerning Mr. Polk's life. 



246 HOME SCENES AND INCIDENTS. 

Anticipating their wishes, I told them that nothing 
dehghted me more than to resurrect these long- 
ago facts, and thus contribute to the happiness of 
others." 

She said that during Mr. Polk's lifetime she often 
had a delicacy in repeating compliments paid to 
him, but that now she did so without scruple. She 
had a natural reluctance to any conversation about 
her own experiences, and it was difficult to draw 
from her the information essential to a faithful story 
of her life. 

Many letters came to her from strangers, making 
divers requests: that she would join a certain praise- 
worthy society ; that she would contribute to this 
or that deserving object; that she would give items 
of information regarding some one she had known 
sixty years ago ; that she would grant the favor of 
a few pieces for a crazy quilt, etc., etc. Every day 
or two brought applications for her autograph. 
Kindness and courtesy impelled her to comply with 
these appeals as far as possible, but in her later 
years many of them were, of necessity, indefinitely 
postponed. Until the last months of life her eyes 
were good, and she used them to her heart's con- 
tent in the luxury of reading. She could still read 
large print with unaided sight, and would sometimes 
look over her letters, and pen one or two short 



HOME SCENES AND INCIDENTS. 247 

answers, before putting on her glasses ; and would 
often express a profound gratitude for the long-con- 
tinued gift of strong and clear vision. While the 
feebleness of advanced age made walking some- 
what difficult, she was still animated in manner and 
bright in conversation, showing the ready tact and 
wit of former times. She was obliged to excuse 
herself to many callers, but those who saw her 
found her still so young and fresh in her interest 
and sympathy that it seemed strange to hear her 
speak of the impossibility of keeping up the corres- 
pondence and the social habits of other days. Her 
interest in the newspapers was a never-failing source 
of pleasure. Her insight into the hidden springs of 
action and change in national and local affairs was 
remarkable, when it is considered that for nearly 
two-score years she had lived continuously in the 
retirement of her quiet home. 



REMINISCENCES. 



1 



CHAPTER XV. 

1885-1891. 

/^NE day Mrs. Polk told us that in the first 
^-^ year of Mr. Polk's presidency she went, as 
she often did, to take Mrs. Madison for a drive. 
The servant returned to the carriage with the mes- 
sage that Mrs. Madison was engaged with company, 
and that she wished Mrs. Polk would come in. En- 
tering the parlor, she found a group of ladies with 
whom she had interchanged visits when her hus- 
band was a member of Congress. They immedi- 
ately began to complain playfully that she did not 
return their calls, saying, "Now, Mrs. Polk, we 
have you before Mrs. Madison, and we are going 
to try you. Now, Mrs. Madison, we leave it to 
you ; don't you think so young a lady as Mrs. Polk 
ought to return visits, and come to see us as she 
used to do? Did you not return calls and make 
visits when you were in the White House?" 
"Yes, my children, I did," said the venerable 
widow; "but one parlor would then contain all 
who came to my receptions. How could the 



252 REMINISCENCES 

people come to Washington in those days? There 
were no raih'oads, and there were stage-Hnes only 
from New York and Baltimore and Richmond. 
There were even no turnpikes. And the people 
would not come in their carriages. Now there are 
so many people in the city that it is an impossi- 
bility to return the calls that are made on the 
President's household." 

Mrs. Polk said, " I gave up the custom of return- 
ing calls, because it soon became plain to me that I 
could not visit without making discriminations, and 
that would inevitably give offence." 

A gentleman, in talking with her of his parents 
whom she had known forty years before, asked how 
it was that we so seldom in these days meet with 
persons like them, eminent for intelligence and re- 
finement. " It is," she replied, " because of the 
great diffusion, in the present time, of education 
and knowledge, and the universal advancement of 
the country. Everybody knows more, and there 
are therefore fewer persons eminent for knowledge 
and cultivation. Many years ago it was only the 
rich who could be educated, and therefore there 
were comparatively few eligible to office and politi- 
cal appointment. They continued for years in ofn- 
cial position because through experience they be- 
came thoroughly conversant with their duties, and 



REMINISCENCES. 253 

were fully competent to discharge them. As a 
rule, they were also men of sound principles and 
integrity. Now, men are more generally compe- 
tent to hold office, and more easily get into places 
of honor and trust, and," she added, " they are 
more easily turned out by others. And, some- 
how, many men are not governed by the upright, 
stern principles of former days." 

A few days before Christmas, 1885, we saw her 
in her own room. Some one had asked for infor- 
mation from her concerning Mr. Polk's conduct of 
the Mexican war, and she was beginning' to make 
notes of what she could recall. 

A friend had sent her a wood-cut, clipped from a 
newspaper, of the log house, near Charlotte, North 
Carolina, in which her husband was born. It was a 
fac-simile of the primitive abodes in which so many 
noted persons began life. The picture was lying in 
a large copy of the New Testament and Psalms 
which rested on the broad arm of her easy-chair. 
Looking with interest into the well-worn volume, 
one of us read some of the marked passages. She 
spoke of the pleasure the sacred writings gave her, 
and said, " Did you ever notice the correspondence 
between the ninetieth and the ninety-first Psalms? 
The latter seems, verse by verse, to answer the 
former." 



254 



REMINISCENCES. 



Referring to her husband's abstemiousness and 
the hard work which had cut short his hfe, she said 
that she herself was in the habit of eating but httle. 
When the kindness of her nieces and the attentivenes3 
of her servants pressed her to partake more freely, 
she told them that she was satisfied, and that it was 
unseemly for one who was waiting for her last order 
to be thinking of eating and drinking. Then, with 
a burst of feeling, she exclaimed, " My whole heart 
is a thank-offering; and I am ready to go when the 
mandate comes." Smilingly she spoke of having 
attended church after a long enforced absence, 
and of the good sermon of her pastor. Dr. Wither- 
spoon, from the text, " And the door was shut." 
She was impressed with the beautiful singing, in 
which her young niece took part. She said that in 
this country and in Europe there were clergymen 
of ability and education who, in the perhaps uncon- 
scious desire to show their learning, had lost the 
guidance of faith, and were confused in the laby- 
rinth of error. On one occasion, when seated at a 
diplomatic dinner at the White House, and attended 
by M. de Bodisco, the eldest foreign representative, 
she spoke of having been present at a certain relig- 
ious service. The Russian ambassador, who of 
course was a member of the Greek Church, said to 
her, "Why did you go to hear that man, Madame? 



REMIA^/SCENCES. 255 

Why do you care to hear a man tell of things that 
you can learn without him, and that you know 
as well as he does?" She replied simply with 
the question, " What do you do in your church, 
Mr. Bodisco?" "We go to church, Madame, to 
worship." 

She was much grieved by the tragic death of Mrs. 
Pendleton, of Ohio, who was thrown from her car- 
riage in Central Park, New York, and instantly 
killed. Mrs. Pendleton was the daughter of Francis 
Scott Key, and Mrs. Polk recalled her friendship 
with the writer of our grand national hymn. He 
used often to visit Representative Polk and his wife, 
in their boarding-house; and the ladies of the 
house would say to her, " I get tired of staying in 
the parlor so long, but I wish very much to see 
' Star-Spangled Banner; ' do please let me know in 
some way when he comes." 

The marriage of President Cleveland called forth a 
brief letter of congratulation. Accompanying the 
modest announcement of the wedding of " Mr, Grover 
Cleveland and Miss Frances Folsom," she received a 
piece of the wedding-cake, wrapped in silver paper 
and lace, and enclosed in a little white satin box on 
which, in gilt letters, was the date of the auspicious 
event, and a card bearing the autographs of the 
bride and bridegroom. 



256 REMINISCENCES. 

One evening in August Mrs. Polk told us an in- 
cident in her early married life, when she and her 
husband were travelling from Columbia to Murfrees- 
borough. They went in their own carriage, and the 
route lay through Franklin and Triune. The rains 
had been heavy and the rivers and creeks were high. 
About ten or twelve miles from Franklin they came 
to a creek so dangerous to ford that they hesitated. 
While considering what to do, a man approached 
them from a long lane opening into the road, and 
with cordial salutations advised them not to attempt 
a passage of the turbulent waters, and pressingly 
invited them to wait at his house near by until they 
could proceed safely on their journey. He was a 
wealthy farmer, and their stay with his family from 
Friday until Monday was remembered as a pleasant 
episode in their changeful lives. One of the daugh- 
ters was a mute, and she took a fancy to a bead 
reticule carried by Mrs. Polk according to the cus- 
tom of that day. She would gaze at it, and drawing 
near, would point out the vari-colored flowers to 
the others, and talk rapidly to them in signs and 
finger-language. Just before leaving, Mrs. Polk 
took her handkerchief and purse out of the bag, 
and smoothing the ribbons, and wrapping it in a 
piece of paper, she presented it to the young girl. 
Her delight was enthusiastic, and she spelled out this 



REMINISCENCES. 257 

sentence, which was interpreted to the gentle and 
gracious guest, " I will pray for you." 

In the summer of 1887 Miss Fall went to Europe 
with a few friends. Frequent letters from abroad 
enabled Mrs. Polk, from her loop-hole of retreat, 
to see many interesting scenes in the old world, 
through the eyes of her niece. 

Speaking one day of the great change in public 
sentiment regarding the respectability of labor, now 
nearly the opposite of what it was forty years ago, 
she said : " It is beautiful to see how women are 
supporting themselves, and how those who go for- 
ward independently in various callings are re- 
spected and admired for their energy and industry. 
It is now considered proper for young ladies, when 
they leave school, to teach or to do something else 
for themselves. It was not so in my young days. 
When we were in Washington an estimable lady, 
who with her husband successfully conducted a 
large school, was invited to visit us at the White 
House, with her pupils. She said to me, ' Mrs. 
Polk, this is the first time I have ever been invited' 
to the White House ! ' Though a woman of culture 
and high character, her occupation of school-teach- 
ing barred her from social equality." 

Whenever she was not able to attend the public 
celebration of the Lord's Supper, she read the Scrip- 

17 



258 REMINISCENCES. 

ture passages referring to the Supper, and the beau- 
tiful Episcopal service in the prayer-book. Show- 
ing us a small volume for daily devotions, called " The 
Watches," she said that Bishop Otey gave it to 
her a few weeks after Mr. Polk's death. It was 
marked and underscored, and much worn with use, 
and had been re-bound. She said the Psalms were 
a great delight to her, and the day seemed incom- 
plete when she had failed to read one or more of 
them. 

In July, 1888, a telegram in the morning paper 
announced the death of Rev. Dr. Riddle, who had 
been pastor of a church in Pittsburg for fifty years. 
This brought to Mrs. Polk's remembrance a Sab- 
bath she had long ago spent in that city. The rain 
was pouring, and Mr. Polk thought the day too in- 
clement for her to go out. Mr. Campbell, of Al- 
bany, who was travelling with them, proposed to 
order a carriage, but she declined. However, when 
the hour arrived he was at the door, and they drove 
to the church together and had the pleasure of 
hearing Dr. Riddle preach. 

Dr. Rubey, of Clinton, Missouri, wrote to Mrs. 
Polk concerning the authorship of an anonymous 
book presented to him some years before by Judge 
Caruthers, of Lebanon, Tennessee. It is a small 
muslin-bound volume entitled " Monterey Con- 



A'£A//JV/SC£A'C£S. 25Q 

quered," published in New York, in 1852. It is 
an epic poem, with Roman names distinguishing 
the American characters, reminding one of the 
fashion formerly followed by sculptors of disguising 
modern statesmen in the Roman toga. It contains 
some fine passages and beautiful similes, and is 
pervaded by a lofty spirit, not always equalled by 
grace of expression. President Polk, General 
Taylor, General Scott, and others prominent in the 
stirring scenes of the Mexican war, are the principal 
figures; and fictitious events and characters are 
mingled with the real, after the manner of historical 
romancists. She had no recollection of the volume 
or of its author. 

On one rainy Saturday she brought out a gilded 
morocco case, within which, on a red velvet lining 
dulled with age, lay a costly fan, saying that Gen- 
eral Pillow had presented it to her at the close of 
the Mexican war. The pearl strips of the handle, 
gleaming with soft opaline tints, were ornamented 
with open-work and gilding. " It is too heavy for 
use," she said. " I carried it only on state occa- 
sions." Not long afterward she gave to a daughter 
of General Pillow's this beautiful remembrance of 
her father. 

From her home in St. Louis, Mrs. Dr. Brown 
wrote thus to a friend in Nashville : — 



260 REMINISCENCES. 

" Ask Mrs. Polk if she remembers their ride from 
Washington, Pennsylvania, to Brownsville, in a 
stage-coach, on the way to the White House, when 
her husband was to become the President of the 
United States ; and if she recalls a little black-eyed 
school-girl who by mistake had seated herself in 
the decorated presidential coach — large as life. 
When the President and his wife were handed in 
she wished to vacate, as she saw the gravity of her 
mistake, but dear Mrs. Polk said, ' No, keep your 
seat.' When the stage stopped for dinner Mrs. 
Polk, out of the kindness of that generous heart of 
hers, said, ' You are our guest, and will dine with 
us.' That little girl has never forgotten the gracious 
treatment bestowed upon her on that day, and only 
a few weeks ago was telling it all over ; and now I 
tell it to you, and you must tell it to Mrs. Polk. 
That little girl is my own dear cousin, and bears my 
mother's name. Her father was a Whig, but that 
did not interfere with her enjoyment; to be the 
guest of President Polk and his wife was a great 
honor, with which party had nothing to do." 

When Mrs. Polk was eighty-six years old, she 
received the following remembrance : — 

Washington, September, 1SS9. 
My dear Mrs. Polk, — Your birthday returns, 
and your friends are happy in your continued 



REMIX/SCEXCES. 26 1 

health and enjoyment of hfe. As the oldest of 
them, and as one who, if spared, will in a few days 
enter on his ninetieth year, I congratulate 3^011 on 
your health and vigor. May the coming year be 
one of perfect health and happiness to you ; you 
hold the affectionate regard of your country, and 
the esteem and best wishes of a nation minister 
to your length of days better than all the efforts and 
care of the men of the healing art can do. There 
is a constant refreshment of life in enjoying the 
highest esteem and regard of a free people, who 
elected your husband to be their chief, and who en- 
abled him to fill his years of office with the greatest 
deeds. Live long, that you may more and more see 
the astonishing results of his administrative genius. 
Count me ever as one of the most earnest of your 
friends, — perhaps the truest as the oldest of them 
all. Ever with affectionate respect. 
Your devoted friend, 

George Bancroft. 

Speaking of her refusal to give to friends letters 
of recommendation for office, addressed to the 
President, she said she had always declined the 
repeated requests for such letters. She reasoned 
that should she give such a recommendation, and 
the applicant for office be successful, it would be 



262 REMINISCENCES. 

heralded over the country that she was now med- 
dh'ng with poHtics. This would not only increase 
the number of such applications, but would have 
the effect of making her recommendations annoy- 
ing, and render her liable to the loss of whatever 
influence she might possess. " Besides," she said, 
" in my opinion, it is undignified to make such 
solicitations ; and in scores of cases I have politely 
declined to do what old friends and acquaintances 
have urgently asked. I have maintained this posi- 
tion through all the years from 1849 ^o the present 
time, though it was often painful to refuse valued 
friends." 

Few indeed have been the women who continued 
to receive poetical tributes after passing the allotted 
bound of three-score years and ten. Christmas 
Day, 1889, brought her an acrostic-sonnet from 
General McAdoo, of Knoxville. In the note ac- 
companying it he wrote, " Its prime commenda- 
tion is that it truly expresses my feelings toward 
you." 

TO THE ILLUSTRIOUS MRS. EX-PRESIDENT POLK. 

Loved relict of our nation's ruler pure, 

Oh, ble.ss thee that thy h'fe hath spanned the years, 
Vexed not by time's dechne, and still appears 
Exalted toward fame's summit yet more sure I 
Deep-graven history shall through time endure ; 



J 






^^^~ oU, 



.^M, ^^^j^^^^ 






REMINISCENCES. 



263 



So with thy noble husband's rule long years 
All impotent defies ; and ceaseless cheers 

Rewards shall to his deathless fame assure ! 

As Helena, illustrious, in bright glow. 

Her sunset years enjoyed when her great son. 
Proud Constantine, proclaimed that Christ is King. 

Oh, ever thus thy vigor pleaseth so ! 

Life's mortal still is blest ; and when all 's done, 

Kings no translation loftier can show ! 

Referring often to the friends who had ever been 
ready to advise and assist her in business affairs, 
she mentioned many names with grateful regard. 
Her acquaintance with Mr. Anson Nelson began 
when he was the tax collector of the city, before 
the Civil War. Judge Catron urged her to consult 
him about her financial affairs. " He told me," she 
said, " that I needed some prudent adviser who 
could be seen at anytime; and as Major Graham 
had removed to the country, and he himself was 
away from Nashville more than half the time, hold- 
ing court in other States, it was necessary to have 
other advisers. So, at my request, Mr. Nelson 
called to see me regularly once a week. During 
the war, when no business advice was needed, he 
was accustomed to call on Sunday afternoons, 
and has kept up the habit ever since, to my 
gratification." 

Through the winter of 1889- 1890, we were re- 
ceived in her own room. She always took part in 



264 REMINISCENCES. 

the conversation, and was specially interested in 
all that related to the old days. Her thoughts 
seemed to be gradually weaned from subjects that 
had long interested her, — even from politics. Oc- 
casionally a little flicker of enthusiasm for some 
man or some measure would flare, and then she 
would sigh and say, " I don't care for these things. 
Why should I? I am astonished at myself that I 
am here, when nearly all the friends of my younger 
days are gone." She would then repeat with evi- 
dent pleasure some incident of the former times, 
thus pleasing her visitors as well as herself. 

One day she said that years ago, while there was 
sitting with her a lady of high integrity and of an 
intelligence above the average, yet of such stern 
and strict candor that by many her friendship was 
dreaded rather than enjoyed, several gentlemen 
were announced. These visitors were eminent men, 
lawyers, judges, preachers, and the spokesman a 
scientist of repute, but somewhat peculiar in his 
personal appearance. When they had taken their 
departure this lady asked her, " Why do you re- 
ceive visits from those men? And why do you 
wish to talk to a man who is filled with vanity, 
pride, and ambition? It is unbecoming a Christian 
to do so." " Mrs. Blank," was the reply, " I have 
never sought anything for myself. I have been 



J^EMimsCEATES. 2 6 1; 

placed where I am by a higher power ; for the Bible 
says, ' Promotion cometh neither from the east, nor 
from the west, nor from the south. But God is 
the judge; He putteth down one, and setteth up 
another.' And if I did not accept the visits of 
professional men, ministers of the gospel, as well 
as others, it would be a pretence of being a bet- 
ter Christian woman than I am." To this reply, 
from her own standpoint, the lady could offer no 
objection. 

The day before her eighty-seventh birthday the 
Rev. Dr. Whitsitt thus wrote to a mutual friend 
concerning his kinswoman : " It is matter of re- 
joicing that her health and spirits are so fine, at 
her advanced age. I trust that she will be spared 
yet many years. Her lively religious hope has 
been a strong comfort to her, and it has often 
edified me to hear her speak of the value she set 
upon the prospects of a higher world. In this 
whole world there are not many such elevated 
and noble characters. I honor her without any 
reserve." 

During this summer Mrs. Polk received from 
Mrs. ex-Governor Perry of South Carolina, a niece 
of Gen. Robert Y. Hayne, several volumes which 
contained valuable writings of her deceased hus- 
band. Benjamin Franklin Perry was Provisional 



266 REMINISCENCES. 

Governor of South Carolina in 1865. There was 
no organized government in the State at the time, 
and no legal protection for life, liberty, or property. 
Although the claims of several other prominent 
citizens were presented to President Johnson, he 
saw proper to appoint Mr. Perry. At the close of 
the year the State government was re organized. 
The correspondence between Mrs. Polk and Mrs. 
Perry, carried on for the former by the hand of a 
friend, was interesting to the two widows whose 
husbands had taken so active a part in the affairs 
of their country. 

When a letter announced that Mrs. Polk had 
been elected an honorary vice-president of the 
Daughters of the American Revolution, she ac- 
cepted the compliment with appreciation and 
pleasure, ^ — "extremely grateful," she said, "to be 
associated with such an order." 

New Year's Day, 1891, brought a pleasant greet- 
ing from an old and tried friend : — 

Lealand, Jan. i, 1S91. 

Mrs. James K. Polk: Dear Madame, — The 
weather is so inclement that I have to deprive 
myself of the very great pleasure of paying to 
you my annual visit, but I send my greetings and 
give to you all the good wishes of the season. 



REMimsCENCES. 267 

For more than the length of years allotted to the 
average hfe of man or woman, on the anniversary 
of this day, with scarcely a single omission, have 
I visited your hospitable home; and though absent 
on this occasion, I beg that you will consider me 
as one of the numerous friends who will call to pay 
to you their respects. Sidney Smith says, "One is 
all the happier for having once been happy," and 
judging by that standard, who more blessed than 
you, or who more grateful for the blessing? Your 
life, dear Madame, has been dimmed only by a 
single cloud, only one real grief, and that comes 
sooner or later to every household ; death enters 
every hovel and every palace. All else with you 
has been only what heart could wish, — honor, re- 
spect, and " troops of friends." May blessings 
always accompany you, and, though aged, may you 
yet linger many years above the horizon ; such is 
my greeting. Very sincerely, 

John M. Lea. 

Judge Lea's father, Luke Lea, was in Congress 
with Mr. Polk, and on one of their returns home- 
ward Mr. Lea prevailed upon Mr. and Mrs. Polk 
to rest at his country home at Campbell's Station, 
fifteen miles west of Knoxville. This mansion, 



RE MINISCENCES. 



situated on a high hill, and shaded with grand 
old trees, commanded a wide and beautiful pros- 
pect. When Mr. Polk died, in 1849, Judge Lea 
was mayor of Nashville. Interments within city 
limits were not allowed, except by special per- 
m-ission, and Mrs. Polk sent to him to obtain the 
necessary order to build the tomb on her own 
grounds. Instead of sending a messenger, or a 
letter, he came himself, and kindly and courteously 
offered his services, while granting the desired 
permission in the name of the city. 

On the 17th of January George Bancroft passed 
away, in his ninety-first year. Standing herself so 
near the boundary of life, her affections naturally 
turned from the past, and became fixed more and 
more upon the future now lying just beyond. She 
was not therefore deeply moved by the earthly loss 
of this true friend of well-nigh half a century. 

It gave her pleasure to receive about this time a 
poem entitled, " Reminiscences of the Polk Man- 
sion," written by Mrs. C, of Massachusetts. This 
lady had been an invalid for nineteen years, and 
wrote the lines in her sick chamber, knowing Polk 
Place only through the medium of a newspaper arti- 
cle" describing a visit to that interesting house. 

In March Mrs. Polk had a severe illness, from 



REMINISCENCES. 269 

which, however, she recovered in a few weeks. Her 
moderation in all things, her quiet contentment, and 
above all, her habitual submission to the Divine 
will, contributed to an early restoration which was a 
surprise to all. With her wonted spirit of serenity, 
she said that she was not half grateful enough for 
the goodness which had been showered upo" her 
all her life. She also spoke of her light-hearted 
happiness, freedom from care, and exemption from 
severe discipline, and quoted various passages from 
her favorite Psalms. She said that she had not 
cared for society life, and had not entered its 
charmed circle in Nashville. " No, Madame," it 
was returned, "you have gone out only to church." 
"Yes," she replied, "and received the visits of those 
who came to honor the character of my husband, 
which was very great. I have not sought anything. 
I have not travelled. I have remained at home, 
and received what came to me. And I am satisfied 
with it, and am not anxious for anything more. 
I am content now to be the old woman declining 
in life, and waiting the Almighty's orders, and to 
accept His way of directing my days. God is good. 
I am thankful. My heart is filled with joy." 

Concerning the approaching nuptials of her 
young niece, she remarked, " Saidee wishes to be 
married at home; and she sa)'s that if I am not 



270 REMINISCENCES. 

able to witness the ceremony in the parlor she 
will be married right here at my bedside." The 
marriage took place on the twelfth of May. It 
was a brilliant home wedding, in the large parlor, 
and Mrs. Polk was present. 



THE PEACEFUL AND TRIUM- 
PHANT END. 



CHAPTER XVI. 

1891. 

A LTHOUGH growing feebler day after day, 
^ ^ and disinclined even to the slight exertion 
of getting into a carriage, nevertheless, in the 
sultry August weather Mrs. Polk rode out three 
afternoons in succession. On returning home on 
Wednesday, the I2th of August, she sat a little 
while in her accustomed place in the hall, talking 
with the family in her usual bright strain. As 
she went to her room, leaning on her servant's 
arm, her strength suddenly failed. She seemed 
very ill, and immediately lay down, instead of 
partaking of the supper which had been spread 
for her on a little table beside her easy-chair. 
The next morning the family were at first greatly 
encouraged, believing her to be much better. But 
it was soon evident that the wonderful vitality 
was ebbing away. There were intervals of suffer- 
ing throughout the day, and the succeeding night. 
Life was now surely going out. On Friday morn- 

18 



274 ^-^^ PEACEFUL AND TRIUMPHANT END. 

ing, just before daybreak, the doctors who had 
been in attendance upon her were hastily sum- 
moned. As one of them entered the room he 
informed the family that the end was very near. 
She said to her niece, " Sallie, if you will let 
me turn over, I will try to get a little sleep." 
Mrs. Fall, who was kneeling by the bedside, re- 
plied in trembling tones, " Aunt Sarah, the last 
long sleep, for which you have been waiting, is 
very near. That is the sleep which will soon 
come to refresh you." She looked at her niece 
quietly as these words fell from her lips, but 
seemed a little surprised that the departure she 
had been expecting daily for many years had at 
last come with so brief a warning. Then she 
said, in the calm, clear voice familiar and dear 
to them all, " Well, I am ready. I am willing 
to go. Praise God from whom all blessings flow ! " 
Mrs. Fall, bending over her, said, " Darling, do 
you love me?" "I do, I do," was the emphatic 
response. "We have lived together a long time, 
peacefully and happily." Then, softly, distinctly, 
earnestly, she repeated the words of thankful 
submission and joyous praise which had so long 
dwelt in her heart, and ever ready to break forth. 
She reiterated her unshaken trust in God, quoting 
the passages of Scripture that had sustained her 



THE PEACEFUL AND TRIUMPHANT END. 275 

hope ; and also began to repeat certain lines from 
her favorite hymn, " I would not live alway." 
This outflow of feeling continued but for a little 
while, as her strength was waning every moment. 
But the strong, beautiful intellect remained un- 
dimmed. It was nearly seven o'clock when, plac- 
ing upon her niece's head the soft hands, now 
cold with the chill of approaching death, she pro- 
nounced a blessing which seemed like the benedic- 
tion of a bishop : " The Lord bless thee, and keep 
thee, and make His face shine upon thee, and give 
thee happiness and love and everlasting peace ! " 

It was her last utterance. She lay quite still, 
breathing naturally. A slight sound came from 
her lips, and the name " Sallie " was feebly whis- 
pered, but nothing further could be understood. 
As the clock in the hall struck half-past seven, 
the faint breath ceased, and she passed into the 
Better Country. 

In the absence of her pastor, the Rev. Dr. 
Witherspoon, the Rev. Mr. McNeilly had been 
sent for. Living a little distance from the city, 
he did not reach Polk Place until the spirit had 
taken its flight. 

The flags on the State and Federal buildings 
were placed at half-mast; and the solemn tolling 
of the bells of the city, stroke after stroke, in slow 



2/6 THE PEACEFUL AND TRIUMPHANT END. 

succession, gave expression to the sorrow of the 
community among whom had hved for nearly half 
a century this stately woman of the olden time. 

Mr. B. G. Wood, the president of the local 
Association of Mexican Veterans, wrote : " We 
are anxious to pay our last respects to the noble 
woman who presided at the White House while 
we were in the service of our country in a foreign 
nation, and her husband was the Commander-in- 
Chief of our army and navy. Mrs. Polk has been 
the idol of the veterans for many years, and they 
always met a hearty greeting from her." 

The " American " in its next issue voiced the 
general sentiment: — 

" All the people of Tennessee grieve as the news goes 
forth that Mrs. James K. Polk is dead. Full of years 
and of honors, rich in the devotion and tender affection 
of her household, and in the deep and universal esteem 
of Tennesseans, the end of life came peacefully, — not 
as to one whom the infirmities of age and the forgetful- 
ness of friends has made weary of the world, but as to one 
blessed in all earthly surroundings, and blessed in the sub- 
lime serenity of a Christian's faith. Conscious of the 
waning vitality which warned her of the approach of 
death, she has waited for the summons with cheerfulness 
and patience. It is needless to dwell upon the charac- 
ter of Mrs. Polk, — the intellectual mind undimmed to 
the end, the unfailing gentleness which continued to the 
close, the loyal heart which cherished to the last the 



THE PEACEFUL AND TRIUMPHANT END. 



77 



memory of the great man whose life was blessed with lier 
constant devotion and faithful help. It is a positive 
blessing to this generation that this noble woman was 
spared to bring to bear upon it the beautiful character- 
istics and the splendid mental and heart training which 
were hers in a measure that can be said of few women. 
The South will for generations to come recall proudly 
her memory and point with profound pride to hei 
career." 

The following letter was sent from the Execu- 
tive office at the State House: — 

Nashville, Aug. 14. 

To THE Family and Friends of Mrs. Sarah 
Childress Polk : 
On the part of the State of Tennessee, I desire 
to extend sympathy in this bereavement. I feel 
that not only the State, but the nation, has sus- 
tained a loss in the death of so refined, so cultured, 
so noble a woman as Mrs. Polk, the widow of 
one of Tennessee's greatest, best-beloved sons and 
the nation's most exalted chieftains, James K. 
Polk. She has stood a peer among the women 
of the land, a perfect type of the gentle woman- 
hood of the old South, and her influence will 
live forever. The State of Tennessee will hold no 
spot more hallowed than that which has the 
honor to contain the remains of this distinguished 
son and his gentle wife, and will ever give all 



278 THE PEACEFUL AND TRIUMPHANT END. 

honor to their memory. With great respect, I 

beg leave to subscribe myself your obedient 

servant, 

John P. Buchanan, Governor. 

Adjutant-General Norman profifered the family 
a military escort and guard, which was courteously 
and gratefully declined, in compliance with Mrs. 
Polk's desire for perfect simplicity in the funeral 
services. 

The body lay in the chamber where she had 
slept for two and forty years, her niece saying that 
she could not let it be carried into the lonely 
parlor. In accordance with Mrs. Polk's request, 
a white silk winding-sheet was wrapped about 
her, similar to the one in which her husband was 
buried. The sweet, dignified features bore an ex- 
pression of peace and rest. It seemed as if she 
had just fallen asleep and would soon waken and 
speak again. 

Telegrams continued to come in for several days 
from all parts of the country. One was sent by 
Judge Lea, from Maine, where he was sojourning: 
"The death of Mrs. Polk removes from me a life- 
time friend. Deeply do I, and deeply does Tennes- 
see sympathize with her afflicted family." The 
Rev. Dr. VVitherspoon, absent in Washington, sent 
the following: "Have just heard of your sorrow. 



THE PEACEFUL AND TRIUMPHANT END. 279 

Accept my profound sympathy." The Hon. James 
D. Richardson, a member of Congress from Tennes- 
see, telegraphed from Minneapohs to Capt. John 
W. Childress: "Please tender assurances of my 
sympathy to the family of Mrs. Polk. I would 
attend burial if physically able." Colonel McClure, 
of Philadelphia, sent the following: " Mrs. McClure 
joins me in sincerest expressions of sorrow at the 
announcement of Mrs. Polk's death. Her memory 
will ever be enshrined in the country's love." A 
cablegram from London brought " Sympathy ! " 
from the Hon. Thomas D. Craighead and Dr. 
William L. Nichol. 

The city press gave details of the event, full of 
pathetic interest. " The Daily Herald " said : — 

" No stress is laid upon the magnificence of the flowers ; 
but the small posy of delicate, old-fashioned blooms, 
which Miss Thomas (an aged and life-long friend) brought 
in her own hands, was given the place of highest honor 
within the still white clasp of those hands which have 
^ever known but to do good. The great stone doors of 
the tomb shall close upon the quaint cluster of flowers 
modestly and sweetly adorning the great lady's hands, and 
the token shall be eternal. 

" One of the most beautiful stories which comes to liglit 
in connection with the death is the attachment of the ven- 
erable Anson Nelson and his wife to the lady whose hus- 
band figured so prominently in the stirring political scenes 
which made memorable the earlier days of his residence 



280 THE PEACEFUL AA'D TRIUMPHANT END. 

here. It has long been their custom to visit her every 
Sabbath afternoon, and to engage in an hour of Christian 
conversation. When it was impossible for them to see 
her, they proved their constant devotion by writing a letter 
to her upon the subjects nearest their hearts. And when 
the news reached them that the friend of so many years 
had passed away, they immediately left their brother's home 
in Asheville, North Carolina, and with heavy hearts hastened 
upon a journey which meant such a sad ending to them 
of ties faithfully cherished." 

Mr. Cornelius, who had charge of the funeral, 
performed the same service for Mr. Polk, forty-two 
years before. It was thought that Sunday morning 
was " the sweetest time," and the last sad rites 
therefore took place at nine o'clock on that day. 
An old lady from the country, who came early, said 
as she looked into the large south parlor where the 
flow^er-designs were grouped about the casket in 
rich profusion, " This is not a funeral. This looks 
like heaven." Many persons came from the adja- 
cent towns and counties, and from all classes of 
society, the poor and humble and obscure, as well 
as the wealthy and prominent. The services were 
conducted by Rev. Dr. Price, of the Presbyterian 
University at Clarksville, assisted by Rev. Dr. 
Steel, pastor of the McKendree Methodist Church, 
and the Rev. J. H. McNeilly. After prayer and 
Scripture-reading, and the singing of several hymns, 



THE PEACEFUL AND TRIUMPHANT END. 28 1 

one of which was her favorite, " I would not live 
alway," Mr. McNeilly delivered a beautiful and ap- 
propriate discourse. He had examined Mrs. Polk's 
daily companions, the "Watches." and the New 
Testament which lay on the broad arm of her easy- 
chair, and from the marked passages therein had 
formed a just estimate of her spiritual life and 
character. 

Among the pall-bearers were four elders of her 
own church, and Colonel Claiborne, who was a 
bearer at the ex-President's funeral in 1849. The 
procession passed from the house to the tomb, and 
the casket was lowered into the vault, and placed 
beside the casket of her husband. After prayer 
and a benediction, the family and friends withdrew, 
and the multitude had an opportunity to pass and 
look into the tomb. During all the services the 
city bells were tolling a solemn requiem. 

In a letter to the family. Dr. Witherspoon 
•'■ote : — 

"My distress at the intelligence it is impossible 
for me to express. Along with that sorrow was a 
feeling of sincere regret that as her pastor, and 
yours, I was so far away, and thus providentially 
deprived of the privilege of witnessing an end so 
peaceful and triumphant, and of giving you what of 
consolation I might have been able. I shall always 



282 THE PEACEFUL AND TRIUMPHANT END. 

be happy and proud in the thought that Mrs. Polk 
was my friend, and that I bore to her the sacred 
relation of pastor. It is a sweet satisfaction to 
know that her confidence I enjoyed while she yet 
lingered with us to brighten our lives by her 
womanly worth and her noble Christian character. 
... I can well imagine what a change in your life, 
and in that of your loved ones, is made by her 
going from you. We all know how she loved the 
inmates of that home, who tenderly loved her in 
return, and ministered to her so faithfully in the 
evening of her precious life. He who rewards the 
giving of a cup of cold water in His name to one 
of His disciples, will surely recompense you and 
yours for smoothing her path to the grave. May 
the God of all grace who took the sting out of 
death for her, bless and comfort you." 

Judge Lea wrote : " Her friendship for me was 
one of the treasures of my life." 

From an article in the " American " we extract 
the following paragraph : — 

" She was a true woman and a strong woman ; true to 
all the best feelings of a warm and honest heart ; strong in 
all that belongs to a cultivated mind, and a brave one. She 
had strength of purpose, a clear intellect, and was a wise 
and sagacious student of affairs, not only because she had 
the mind to comprehend and appreciate, but also because 



THE PEACEFUL AND TRIUMPHANT END. 283 

she ^tenderly revered the memory of her husband, who had 
been honored with the highest gifts by the people of his 
country. She was a great woman, and few have lived like 
her ; for she passed unscathed through an ordeal that few 
women and men, living or dead, could have passed, and 
left a bright record behind them." 

The following inscription has been placed on the 
west side of the tomb, in the place originally left 
vacant for this purpose: — 



ASLEEP IN JESUS. 



MRS. SARAH CHILDRESS POLK, 

WIFE OF 

JAMES KNOX POLK. 

BoRX IN Rutherford County, Tenn., 
Sept. 4, 1803. 

Died at Polk Place, Nashville, Tenn. 
August 14, 1891. 



A noble woman, a devoted wife, 
a true friend, a sincere Christian. 



" Blessed are the dead which die in the Lord." 

These memorials m,ay fitly close with the follow- 
ing letter, addressed to Mrs. Fall : — 



284 THE PEACEFUL AND TRIUMPHAN' END. 

EvANSTON, III.. .g. 15, 1891. 

Dear Friend, — A noble Christ- n and typical 
American lady of the old school h.^a gone from this 
world, and a beloved aunt an-d household comrade 
has left your historic home. Seeing Mrs. Polk first 
in i88r, I have omitted no opportunity to do so 
when in Nashville since then. The portrait at the 
White House, placed there by American women, 
Northern and Southern, was a beautiful token of 
our renewed love and good understanding. The 
Christian example of Mrs. President Polk at the 
Executive Mansion will brighten the annals of our 
common country. These lines cannot express the 
full measure of appreciation and reverence that I 
have always cherished for your illustrious aunt. 
Well might the church bells toll for one always 
loyal" to our Lord, and the flags be placed at half- 
mast for a patriot who dignified the name " Amer- 
ican." May God's blessing be with you all who 
loved her, and who have lost her out of your lives, 
is the prayer of 

Yours in the love of God and of Humanity, 

Frances E. Willard. 



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